


The Handmaid

by chimaeracabra



Category: Loki - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-05
Updated: 2014-05-17
Packaged: 2018-01-22 00:13:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 39,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1568984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chimaeracabra/pseuds/chimaeracabra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki terrorizes an Asgardian maid.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Innocence

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still learning the ropes of this place. This post is the first five chapters of a story I've been working on since September last year. It's on the way to being finished soon. I'm just transferring it here.

            She was a beautiful virgin who stepped before my father in the palace. I was standing at the left side of the throne, while Thor stood cheekily at father's right. The long, deep brown curls of the girl's head met nearly to her waist as she knelt before mother and father obediently. I knew she was here to be punished—her whole family—for her brother's foolish actions in challenging the All-Father. He'd brought shame upon her family. I thought that if one so much despised father's rule, which I believed to be more than fair, he should simply leave Asgard for good. The brother my father began to speak of was already dead. It almost made me want to laugh at how foolish he had been to challenge father. It was shortly determined that the girl and her younger sister were to be allowed to remain in Asgard, seeing as they were orphaned now without their big brother to protect them. Part of me felt sad for the girl; she'd lost her brother, her parents long before, and now her family was being torn asunder. Her name was Elsebe, the dark haired girl, and she was to become a servant of the palace as recompense for her brother's crimes. Her sister and the two male cousins, who were all that was left of the family, were to be sent away to other parts of Asgard. The split of the family was only to ensure no further conspiring. Father could have simply put them all to death, but they were so young, and I knew he pitied them. Elsebe was crying harder as the guards led her cousins from the palace. Her little sister clung to Elsebe's arms, not wanting to be taken away. The young girl began to scream as she was snatched away from her older sister, who collapsed to the floor once more and wept. Thor was looking on with tearless eyes, a rather angered expression. He thought this punishment served the family right, but deep down, I felt sorrow for them. I couldn't have imagined being taken away from my family, my older brother who I admired so much, despite how much those feelings for him waned, the closer we grew up to compete for the throne. Mother was the only one who showed the girl sympathy. She rose from father's side and approached Elsebe, who laid a heap of sorrows on the floor. She knelt and clasped the girl's shoulders comfortingly.

            "You will be treated well here. Your brother's heinous actions won't follow you to this home. Think of it as mercy, for the remaining members of your family have not been put to death." Elsebe looked into my mother's eyes and immediately found solace. As mother's hands clutched the girl's pale face, I soon found myself wishing the hands were mine.

 

            I was just waking, the brightness of a new day dawning my face. I groaned, wishing I had closed the curtains before retiring; I'd wanted to sleep longer than this. I rose nonetheless, stretching and waking. I sauntered over to the desk where I'd stayed up late with one of my new books, analyzing spells. Nearly two hours passed before I realized that my morning drinking water had not yet been delivered. By now, there'd be a knock on my chamber doors and an old chambermaid would come in to pour it for me, and if I was too tired to get up, it would be left quietly on the desk for my attention as soon as I saw it fit to get out of bed. My throat was dry and I felt parched. I began to grow angry and impatient. The maid was _never_ late. And then there was a quiet knock on my doors. I stood and rushed over to them, pulling the doors open. Elsebe gasped slightly at the suddenness of the doors swinging open. She glanced up at me, now dressed in maid's clothing, having been stripped of her peasant attire. The golden pitcher in her hands shook with nerves.

            "S-Sir," she said with a tiny voice. I eased my expression, realizing how I'd frightened her. I smiled.

            "I'm—I'm sorry. I got lost. The palace is so big."

I stepped aside and motioned for her to enter my chambers. She eyed the interior for a moment, just standing there. I sighed.

            "I don't have all day, woman," I said impatiently. Normally I wasn't this rude, but I was thirsty and sleepy, and this unlearned young woman was wasting my time. She jumped at my comment and hurried inside my room, but as she did so, she fell and the water rolled across the marble floor as the pitcher landed with a _clatter_. I clenched my fists angrily. The girl laid there helplessly on my chamber floor. I pulled a hand through my hair with frustration. When Elsebe heard me approaching, she began to scurry up off the floor. I could not help noticing her ample behind inside the maid's dress. It quickly occurred to me that I had never had younger maids. Most of them were assigned to mother. I knew this was the case because of my brother's newfound lecherous ways. To bed one of mother's handmaidens was unspeakable. I shook my head at the thought of my brother's foolishness, and tried to focus my attention on the spilled water, rather than Elsebe's breasts where the cleavage was just visible beneath her uniform, as she detached the apron from her waist and began to wipe up the floor.

            "I'm sorry!" She said desperately, wiping the floor furiously. She shortly began to cry as I paused a few inches away from her. I pitied the girl, and found myself kneeling to her height on the floor. I pulled the drenched apron from her hands. Though I was angry and thirsty, I still showed her mercy.

            "It's alright, woman," I said. I raised my hand in front of me and made the water evaporate away with magic. Elsebe looked surprised as she watched it all disappear before her eyes.

            "I'm sorry. I just miss my sister. And now I will never see her again, nor my cousins," she said, casting her eyes down. I reached out and touched her dark curls. Elsebe's eyes opened and she looked scared, leaning away from my hand slightly. Her eyes flitted to my naked chest and she looked away with fiery cheeks.

            "I mean no harm. I meant only to comfort you," I explained, standing up. She gazed up at me with the most innocent pair of eyes.

            "Fetch me more water," I said, pointing to the door. Elsebe nodded and picked up the empty golden pitcher. She hurried out of my room. I paced a while, and fifteen minutes passed. I grew angrier, my throat the drier. When finally there was another knock on my door, I rushed towards it and found Elsebe panting as if she'd been running around. I didn't wait for her to pour the water for me. I snatched the pitcher from her hands and started on it. She stood in the doorway and watched me with wide eyes.

            "I'm sorry, sir. I got lost again," she explained fearfully. When I was satisfied, I put the pitcher down on the floor, and then I grabbed Elsebe's arm.

            "If you don't know how to get around, ask the older maids so they can direct you. Do not be late again. Understand?" I said, a bit of biting in my tone. Elsebe looked as if she might cry again. I didn’t loosen my grip, however.

            "I said, 'do you _understand_ me?'"

            "Yes." Elsebe nodded and I let her go. She started down the hall away from my chambers.

            "Have they taught you nothing?" I asked, stepping out into the hall. Elsebe turned around.

            "Come back and make my bed," I said. She seemed lost, as if she didn't know what she was supposed to be doing. She looked unsure as she began to fluff my pillows and shake the blankets, straightening up my bed. She looked scared, in fact, and I still felt sorry for her.

            "Listen," I said, standing on the other side of the bed. Elsebe paused to look at me, "I know you are not to blame for your brother's stupidity, but this is your fate. It is only your first day, but you mustn't be so unprepared."

            "None of the other maids will talk to me," she said quietly, looking down, "I had to find your chambers nearly all on my own."

I sighed, "My mother appears to have taken pity on you. Speak to her and she will sort it out." Elsebe nodded and I started into the adjoining room for my bath. I knew I was going to have to break the girl in. She had no idea who she was serving now.

 

            The following day dawned and I awoke to find that my water had not been delivered, yet again. I didn't like for my routine to be interrupted. Elsebe was going to deal with me the moment I saw her. About ten minutes after I awoke, there was finally a knock on my chamber doors. I ignored it, and when it sounded again, I decided what I would do. I sat in the chair near my desk and cast a spell to make myself invisible. The knocking did not halt, and finally Elsebe pushed at the doors to find them open.

            "Sir?" she called out. I stayed silent where I sat. Elsebe started towards the desk, the golden pitcher in her hands. She noticed the chair pushed out from the desk, looking at it a moment. She ignored it and kept walking. I put my feet out to trip her. Elsebe gasped and flew across the floor, landing on her stomach as the pitcher clattered noisily to the floor. I remained invisible, but stood slowly to see my good work. I cast an illusion about Elsebe, so that she would see spiders running about her dress. She swatted at her arm, and then screamed when she saw the illusion there. She stood up in a flash, tearing away at her skirt, until it was sitting on the floor. She undid the top of her dress, flailing and screaming. I finally laughed aloud. Elsebe turned and started to run for the door, but she was stopped short upon bumping square into me. I caught her, and she looked more frightened. I made myself visible to her eyes and she jumped. I held her still.

            "They're not real," I said, composing myself. The spiders vanished and Elsebe's breathing normalized. It was then that she realized she was clinging to my arms, half naked in them. After an awkward couple of seconds, she tore away and ran behind the curtain, concealing herself. I couldn't stop laughing as she hid herself away from me entirely. I soon calmed down.

            "It was just a little joke. Come out now and bring me my water," I said. The curtain quaked slightly where Elsebe was hidden. I crossed my arms and grew impatient.

            "I told you not to be late again. Come out, _now_ ," I said gravely. Elsebe poked her head from behind the curtain.

            "My—my dress," she said, eying it over on the floor where the skirt sat not far away from me.

            "Come put it back on," I said plainly. Elsebe stood where she was.

            "Sir, will you please turn around?"

I glared at her.

            "Come put it back on," I said again firmly, "I was poking fun before, but my patience is wearing thin. Do not make me angry now." Elsebe slowly emerged from behind the curtain. She then rushed over, where I had not turned away from her, and I watched her fasten the skirt and blouse. With shaky hands, she reached for the golden pitcher which had fallen when I tripped her. I flicked my hand towards the door.

            "Don't lallygag, woman," I said, growing impatient. Elsebe hurried from my chambers. This time it only took her a few minutes to come back. I watched her pour the crystal clear water into a chalice on my desk. As she leant over the desk a ways, I could no longer ignore that what I had seen pleased me. When Elsebe finished pouring, I stood right behind her and planted both my hands firmly on my desk, trapping the girl. She gasped and leaned forward, away from me. I grabbed a handful of her dark tresses and pulled, so that her back made contact with my chest. She smelled of almond, something subtly sweet. I pushed my hand beneath her frock and she froze.

            "S-sir," she said, attempting to lean away again, but I kept a deadbolt grip on her hair. I pressed my lips to her ear, "I told you not to be late again. The next time you are late, you will regret it. Understand?"

Elsebe nodded as fervently as she could while I held her hair like that.

            "Make my bed," I said. She hurried away from me as soon as I let go of her hair. But I'd barely backed up enough to give her space, causing her to slide against me as she moved. I sat atop my desk and drank the clear water, watching the sun pour in on Elsebe's nervous face as she put my bed together. She went to leave through the double doors when I stood and breezed over in front of her.

            "I have not been satisfied with your tardiness," I explained, stepping towards her. All the while she stepped back, moving slowly towards my bed, _right_ where I wanted her.

            "I'm s-sorry."

At last the back of her knees met my made bed and she fell back on it and gasped. I slowly knelt before Elsebe where she sat on my bed.

            "You're distracted and untrained. But I will not put up with your incompetence a third time. Do you understand?" I asked. Elsebe nodded. I glanced down her skirt.

            "May I go now?" she asked. I looked back up into her eyes with raised brows. I reached for Elsebe's foot and removed the shoe. She began to back away from me over the bed, gasping. I grabbed her leg and pulled her back towards me.

            "Please don't," she said desperately, watching me fearfully. I pushed my hands beneath her skirt. Elsebe winced audibly when I rubbed my fingers mercilessly against her quim. She began to try and back away across my bed, causing me to slowly reappear from beneath her dress. Angrily, I lunged forth, back under the skirt, and reached for her hips where I pulled clear off the delicate cloth that was her underwear. Elsebe gasped. I then stood up and stared down at her. The light blue eyes in her head were wide with what I didn't translate as fear, rather than shock. Elsebe looked at me standing there, glaring down at her. Slowly, I pointed to my door.

            " _Go then_. Off to my mother's quarters," I said. Slowly, the young woman stood up, readjusting her skirt. She started around me cautiously. I raised to my full height and sent daggers into her eyes. Her cheeks reddened uncontrollably.

            "I—I, those are mine," she said, slowly turning her palm up, expecting me to give the article of clothing back to her. I couldn't fight my natural mischievous smile, "Not anymore," I said slyly. Elsebe stared up at me, as if to say something else, but she knew better than to question me. I held the underwear behind my back and glared at Elsebe once more. She then sprinted for the door and I was left in silence. I sighed longingly, my heart tantalized as I sat upon my freshly made bed. I pressed the cloth to my nose and inhaled. It didn't relieve my qualms, yet made me harden so that I had to loosen my pants and satiate my drive.

 

 

            When I had thoroughly satisfied myself a seventh time, my flesh growing raw, it occurred to me that I hadn't left my room in nearly two hours. My stomach growled with hunger and I decided I'd better clean myself up and have something to eat. I was generally never late for lunch, and part of me worried that Thor would wonder what I was up to and come try to stick his big fat nose in my business. I sighed, thoroughly acquitted. I picked up Elsebe's undergarment and stood up. I walked towards my large book case and cast a spell to levitate the small intimate article until it reached the very top of the high shelf, where it was out of sight, but not at _all_ out of mind. I walked in a euphoric daze to my washroom. The afterglow shortly faded when I descended into the hot stone tub, as I sorely wished that it had been the maid herself who had pleasured me so. I thought of her sinuous legs and how she hastily pulled the skirt of her uniform back over those widened hips, between which I pained to sail violently, until I could make her moan and scream loud enough to crack the mirrors that I shortly found myself standing in front of as I dressed. I made my way to the feasting hall to find that it was nearly empty, Thor and his friends leaving as I entered. Volstagg glanced back at me momentarily as Thor's uproarious laughter filled the hall. It was the same annoying laugh he always bellowed upon hearing something he thought was rather funny. I rolled my eyes and made my way to the table, taking a spot on the opposite side of the table. Mother's eyes widened a degree upon seeing me.

            "Is something the matter?" I asked as a plate was immediately set before me.

            "You look a little worn," she said, tilting a goblet casually to her lips. The heat rose in my neck and I tried to keep it all together.

            "I overslept. I was up very late," I said, cutting into the meat on my plate.

            "It was unanimous amongst the handmaids that the new girl be assigned to your quarters," mother began, in an displeased sort of tone that she took with me whenever she thought that my pranks had gone too far. I paused and looked across the table.

            "And _why_ should any of the maids have a say in who is assigned curator of my chambers?" I asked, as politely as I could manage, though I knew my tone was bordering on rude. Mother stood up straighter and shot me a subtly warning look.

            "Your usual, Cecilia, grew tired of your shenanigans. I do believe you're getting a bit old to be scaring the maids."

            "It's only some fun! …I'm sorry, mother. It's just that Elsebe is so unlearned in serving. Do you know that she was late with my morning water _twice_ already? She informed me that she had trouble finding my chambers because no one would direct her. I told her to go to you for want of advice."

            "Really? She hasn't spoken to me," mother responded, brushing something off her dress and slowly rising from the table.

            "Do you wish me to re-assign you another mai—"

            "No," I said automatically, before mother could finish her sentence. Slowly and with confusion, her eyebrows rose.

            "I meant merely to say…the girl needs more training. She confided in me that none of the other maids were speaking to her, which I took as a sign that she must feel out of place."

            "As she should," mother continued matter-of-factly, "She was a farm girl, accustomed to reaping crops, not serving and cleaning royalty. If I see her today, I will take note to speak with her, and I can address the problem of the other maids myself," mother finished with some discontent. She was generally kind and loving, but the attendants knew never to disobey her. I knew she would see to it herself that the older maids would start providing Elsebe with more guidance. I finished my lunch alone, and when I stepped out of the hall, I couldn't stop picturing Elsebe's naked legs, couldn't inhale without smelling the sweet almond when I'd grabbed her hair. I thought I heard a faint whimpering and paused in a hall before walking into the throne room. I turned slowly to find no one in the hall. But as I stood there, there was yet again a whimpering noise. I quietly stepped towards the direction in which I thought it was coming from. There were great tapestries in this hall, so large that they mostly covered the walls, except for the spaces where there were windows allowing light to stream in. Despite the slight draft in the hall, I knew that there was something more behind one of the large tapestries. The whimpering noise stopped when I was just a few feet away. I paused quietly and stood there several seconds. There was a soft sigh and choked inhale that was vaguely resemblant of a cry. I grinned, knowing exactly what I was about to happen upon. I closed the gap between myself and the tapestry. I reached out for it slowly and the whimpering cry halted yet again. And then I pulled it back swiftly and looked directly down at Elsebe, who had such fright in her eyes as she looked back up at me. She gasped, though I knew she knew that I'd known she was there when I heard her crying. I smiled down at her, and knelt in front of her.

            "I'm not going to hurt you," I said, though the mischievous laugh succeeding my words clearly made the girl believe the antipode. It was in my nature; I couldn't have helped it. Honestly, I found her fear of me cute and innocent. Elsebe's hands flew to the hem of her skirt where she gripped it around herself, bunching it so that her ankles became completely visible. I realized that one of her shoes was missing, still sitting in my chambers somewhere. I stared down at the skirt as she did this, and laughed very quietly; she feared I would steal her garments again. I wondered for a moment whether she'd had the chance to replace the one I'd stolen a few hours prior. A silent tear cascaded down Elsebe's cheek, and she stared down, away from me. The tears still fell consistently, but she was silent.

            "Why are you crying?" I asked, "If it is because of me, there is no reason to. I'm known to be a bit of a trickster. It's in my nature. I didn't mean anything by it." Elsebe was silent. She stayed looking away from me.

            "How old are you?" I asked. Silence. I placed my hand on her shoulder and she gasped and jumped away from me slightly, nearly falling over on the floor. I paused and put my hand down. She was terrified! But I _liked_ this.

            "I asked you a question," I said firmly, yet still in a friendly way.

            "T-twenty," Elsebe breathed, just below her breath. She had looked away from me again.

            "Look at me when I speak to you," I said with a bit of wrath. I wanted her to know that _I_ was in control here. Elsebe's eyes flitted across my face, and then froze somewhere on my forehead, avoiding my gaze again. I smiled. I put my hand out, palm up, between the two of us. Elsebe glanced at it unsurely. I materialized a flower and she gasped again. As much as I enjoyed toying with her, I no longer wished to see the tears. Elsebe stared at the Lisianthus in my palm.

            "You needn't cry," I said as comfortingly as I could. Elsebe glanced at me a second and then continued to stare at the flower. Her head leant back and away slightly, as if the Lisianthus were poisonous. I laughed jovially, which seemed to frighten Elsebe again, as she jumped so slightly.

            "Go on, take it," I said, floating my hand a little closer to her. She pressed herself firmly up against the wall.

            "It is no hoax this time—I promise," I said honestly. Elsebe slowly reached for the Lisianthus with a shaky hand. How small her hands were. I only wondered what they might feel like against my skin, around my member which slowly hardened when I felt the warmth of her hand as she swiped the flower from my palm.

            "I wasn't crying because of your joke," she finally said, eying the flower, twirling it in her hands and drying her eyes, "I miss my sister," she said, her voice breaking ever so slightly.

            "Why, those aren't things to dwell on, woman. Your life is _here_ now, paying service to Odin. You should just be thankful that your _whole family_ wasn't put to death." Elsebe closed her eyes. I sighed.

            "You failed to speak to my mother about the other maids. She will find you knowingly, as I took the liberty of informing her myself," I said. Elsebe remained silent with closed eyes.

            "Did I not tell you to look at me when I speak to you?" I said brazenly. Her eyes popped open, but I knew that she stared only at my lips as I continued to speak.

            "You are to be my chambermaid until further notice. You will not take orders from anyone aside from Frigga, the All-Father, and myself. Do you understand me?" I said. Another tear ran down the flesh of Elsebe's apple cheek. She nodded.

            "Now," I said, sitting so that I had one leg propped up, resting my arm around my knee.

            "What were you doing back here, aside from lamenting? Hiding?"

Elsebe was quiet, but I saw the blood rise to her cheeks.

            "Your duties are to be taken seriously—not shirked. Do you understand?" Elsebe nodded, pulling her knees to herself and hugging them tightly. She clearly wanted me as far away from her as possible. I grinned.

            "Speak, woman!"

            "Yes!" she cried out. I stood and reached down with chivalry to help her get up, but she merely stared at my hand.

            "Get up, Elsebe," I said. She never took my hand, yet stood up slowly and kept her back to the wall.

            "You needn't fear me," I said, grinning, "Just _don't_ be late again with my morning provisions. I hate disruptions in my routine. I should not even have to tell you this at all." I raised my brows. Elsebe nodded vehemently.

            "My mother will speak to the older maids about teaching you better. Don't worry, you'll be an amazing maid in no time."

I stepped aside and waited for Elsebe to move from behind the tapestry. There was a silence, during which time I wondered whether she'd buck up the courage to request her undergarment back. She stared at me with wide eyes and then, quite literally, ran away. The girl could run anywhere in Asgard she wanted to run to, but there was no hiding from me.

         

            I became enraged that night after Thor's comment that I wasn't going to win when I lost the fifth rematch I demanded at arm wrestling. Volstagg, who laughed goodnaturedly when I requested a sixth round, still hurt my feelings nonetheless. I laughed it off, as always, and held my head high to appear undefeated, but the moment I slipped out of earshot and field of vision, I scowled and grumbled lividly. I began to cut the palms of my hands with my nails, the fists were clenched so tightly. When I tried to calm myself down and released them, I found there to be little crescent-shaped moons of blood in my pale palms. I took a deep breath outside the doors of my chamber and felt my heart rate come down a few notches. I just wanted to be king. I wanted to prove to father—and everyone else—my worthiness as ruler of Asgard. At times, I felt that mother was the only one who believed in me, believed I had true strength. I had recalled weeping to her at times in my adolescence, not long ago, about the way that Thor was beginning to rip out of his garments with such strength that had the maids sighing after him like rabid nymphs. Mother had always told me not to compare myself to him, that I was going to be just as fair competition for the throne. Had Thor known of these insecurities, I felt sure I'd never hear the end of it in teasing. I was never going to be as strong as him physically…but he'd never have my wit, my capabilities with seidhr, or the silver tongue with which I could persuade and beguile anyone. I smiled to myself, feeling even calmer as I pulled open my chamber doors. I was further pleased upon finding Elsebe in my chambers, pausing in wiping clean the windowsill. She turned around when she heard me come in, and quickly, she began to gather her cleaning items. I closed the doors swiftly and she paused again to glance over at me where I stood with crossed arms. I didn't intend to let her flee again, like a rabbit attempts to flee from the snake, but I would strike too fast for a chance at escape. I smiled, and I'm sure that it frightened Elsebe, as her eyes widened a bit.

            "Sir," she said respectfully, bowing ever so slightly. She began to hurry down the steps from the windows and as she attempted to scurry around me, I stood in her path. She stopped before making contact with my chest, where her height met, her mouth falling agape just a little bit.

            "I see no need for you to rush away, if you are not finished," I said, eying the second window, which I knew remained untouched. The curtains had not been pulled shut for the evening, as they had always been by my maids. Elsebe swallowed hard and never met my eyes.

            "I forgot," she said simply, and started towards the window eagerly, away from me. Her back was to me as I began to undress. I did so quietly, though I knew the young woman was too distracted to notice. Initially, I simply wanted to play a joke and be naked when Elsebe turned around again, just to get a rise out of her. But as I watched her standing there, I didn't just want her to see me, I wanted to touch her. I stripped only enough so that my top half was bare and kicked off my boots to step with stealth, like a predator stalking its prey, towards Elsebe who stood cleaning the window. I made it _right_ up behind her without her hearing a thing. I smiled to myself, and as I looked down on her, I began to have the same feelings I felt upon viewing her naked legs. I burned to ride ravenously between those long limbs, and in a passing moment, I began to harden with lust. Elsebe still had not sensed me standing several inches away from her delicate frame. She did not even notice my shadow cast upon the wall beside her. She scrubbed away futilely at the windowsill, and I knew that I had incited nervousness in her once more. My heart began to race again. I was going to have Elsebe one way or another, but I knew better than to force myself upon her, despite the fiendish ways I'd tormented her previously. I was only having some fun, and yet I knew it that she would never tell, or she would not have still been standing there cleaning my windows; mother would have promptly assigned me a shapeless and unappealing old wench to be curator of my chambers. My mind raced with fantasies of what I could do to Elsebe, would she only allow me close enough without fear. I couldn't stand it anymore—I had to touch her. I couldn't control myself as my arms swooped down around Elsebe's waist and I pulled her towards me, her bottom hitting my growing hardness with no restraint, causing me to moan out lowly in need. I inhaled sharply through my teeth. I was tantalized to no avail! Elsebe gasped, dropping the cloth with which she'd been furiously rubbing at the windowsill. I stood there still, quaking, leaning my waist forward so that my erection was pressed mercilessly against Elsebe's backside. I knew that she felt it, because she gasped again, and I could only imagine shock on her face as she stood there still, her shoulders having risen just about to her ears as her body locked up in shock. I shifted my right foot between Elsebe's two feet, so that the outside of my right met up with the inside of hers. I was honestly pleased to find the foot still bare; she hadn't dared to retrieve her shoe from where it still sat near my bed. With swiftness, I slid my foot to the right across the polished floor so that Elsebe's legs parted, and I wasted no time in throwing my hands beneath the skirt of her uniform, finding her womanhood exposed. Neither had she replaced the undergarment I'd stolen. I pressed my fingers against her warm lips, burying my face in her big, dark, long curls, at which she jerked her head forwards and away from me. She gasped very audibly, and I felt her right leg shift in an attempt to undo where I'd forced it, but I found her opening and slipped two fingers between the folds of her untouched privates. I was beginning to die of need. There was a little squeak that came from Elsebe as she gripped my wrists, leaning forward and pulling out of my arms, falling against the window. She steadied herself and grabbed the wall, turning around swiftly to find me with both hands pressed against my mouth and nose. I could practically taste her, closing my eyes and shaking at the thought of it for a moment. When I opened them again, I found Elsebe wide eyed and…not so much frightened as surprised. I took a large step back, apologizing. Elsebe glanced down where I stood away from her, and I knew her eyes were fixed upon my hardness. It was unignorable now, if it wasn't before.

            "I'm sorry," I said again, waiting for Elsebe to run away from me now that I'd backed up a few feet. I almost felt remorse. I had managed to lose complete control for a moment. Elsebe stood blinking, unsure of herself. She didn't take her eyes off of me as she picked up her cleaning objects. She rushed around me then and didn't bother to close my chamber doors when she left.

 

            I slept with torment. Elsebe's scent was ebbing out of the undergarment and I began to feel anxious when she did not return the following morning with my pitcher of water. It was instead a different maid, who was nowhere near as young as Elsebe, nor old and decrepit as I feared she would be, had Elsebe complained to anyone about me. I worried whether she _had_ in fact told mother. I couldn’t risk being found out and never seeing Elsebe again. I went to breakfast and ate distractedly, until I looked down the table to find mother speaking to Elsebe, who was serving her. The woman never looked over at me, and as mother glanced my way, I feared she had told. Mother questioned Elsebe about her shoe, and I sat up very straight in my seat, ignoring Thor attempting to get my attention as I listened to Elsebe explain. My heart pounded, and with fear, I thought she would tell mother the truth.

            "I stepped out of it somewhere and lost it," Elsebe said, "The palace is so big, and I was distracted. I'm not sure where it is," she explained timidly.

            " _Loki_ ," Thor grumbled for the last time, grabbing my arm so that I literally had to turn and face him.

            "What about that horse race? Perhaps it is something you can beat me in," he grinned. I returned his smile and refrained the urge to beat him about the head. I glanced back down the table to find mother standing up. She appeared to be comforting Elsebe, whose face was hidden in her hands. I felt a pang in my chest and wondered whether I had crossed the line with her the previous evening. As mother led Elsebe from the hall, in her caring ways, I developed a lump in my throat.

 

            The rest of the day, the girl was on my mind. I beat Thor at our horse race, although I didn't quite believe it was because my horse was faster; I was simply less built, and therefore lighter, thus my horse could gallop faster. I felt a little relief at beating Thor, who I knew deep down was just as frustrated as I had been about losing to him at arm wrestling. I rode my horse by myself for a while, unable to get Elsebe out of my thoughts. I prayed she hadn't told mother about my indiscretions with her. I paused in a field I often went to when I wanted to be alone. It was quiet and breezy, but this time I'd stopped there because I saw Elsebe sitting by a peach tree. I sat there on my horse for a full two minutes before stepping down and making my way towards Elsebe. I knew no one would find us here, so I stole the opportunity to get her alone. I stepped on a twig and it made a snapping noise. Like a dear fearing it is being stalked, Elsebe's head whipped around and she stared over at me. I cursed myself in my mind, waiting for her to flee, but as she turned a little bit, I noticed her lap to be full of apples and peaches, one she held in her hand and was finishing eating when I'd startled her. Her eyes widened as she glanced down in her full lap, and then back up at me. I put my hands out as if to surrender.

            "You needn't be alarmed," I explained immediately, yet Elsebe stared with wide eyes from her lap full of fruit and back to me. She began to push the fruits from her lap, looking guilty as I've ever seen anyone.

            "I—I didn't, I just wanted one. I—"

            "It's alright," I said, smiling, realizing she had been afraid of getting caught stealing fruit from the trees. I laughed amicably.

            "You can eat as many as you like," I said. Elsebe's hand had flown to her chest and she looked away from me. I took another cautious step towards her and found that she had a shoe on both feet. I knelt in the grass about two feet away from her. Elsebe's eyes were red from crying, and it began to pull at my heartstrings, even as I yearned to do things that more than likely would have frightened her.

            "Have you been crying again?" I asked gently, sitting on my knees and keeping both my hands in plain sight upon the caps. Elsebe kept her eyes glued to the ground.

            "I slept late—I missed the time to bring your morning provisions," Elsebe confessed. I felt a sense of relief; I knew then that she hadn't told anyone a thing about me touching her. And though I was relieved, strangely I began to wonder why.

            "Tell me why Frigga spoke to you today," I said decidedly. Elsebe appeared very tired, almost weakened. I knew she wasn't going to try and run away from me.

            "…I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," I finally said.

            "I know. You're a trickster," Elsebe said, still not looking up at me. I was surprised then, surprised that she thought I had meant to joke with her, when really I was yearning to take her to my bed. It was no longer a joke to me. She seemed a bit unlearned even in courting, as she began to take it as playing that I had touched her inappropriately.

            "Why were you crying?" I asked when she didn't speak again. She was nervously twisting the leaf off an apple.

            "I don't belong here. I miss my sister," she said quietly, "All the other maids ridicule me for how I ended up here. I am not a loyal attendant in the house of Odin, I was put here not out of choice, but punishment. There is shame upon me. Frigga has been very kind to me. But when I was sent to clean Thor's chambers earlier, he told me I was not to set a traitorous foot in within his sight." A silent tear rolled out of Elsebe's eye.

            "Never mind my brother. He can be a heartless oaf," I said, feeling my eyebrows clench with anger, and I made a mental note to play a harsh prank on Thor later, "The other maids, well, they're simply jealous because you're beautiful," I said in my most silver voice. Elsebe finally looked up at me.

            "…I—I'm not…beautiful," she said calmly. She was blind! She didn't believe me.

            "Am I then a liar?" I asked cunningly with mock fury on my face. Elsebe immediately became apologetic and shook her head. I laughed.

            "I was only kidding," I said. She visibly calmed down, lifting the apple to her lips and closing her eyes as she took a bite.

            "Frigga's trees are said to bear the sweetest fruit in all the nine realms," I said.

Elsebe looked at me, and there was a dreamy expression on her face as she chewed, savoring the taste of the fruit. She stared at the apple as if she were in love with it, knowing that what I'd said was fact. I decided to stay where I was seated; I didn't want to scare Elsebe away again. All I wanted more than anything was to taste her lips and explore every crevice of Elsebe's body, each part of which I knew by her naïveté to be undiscovered by any man. I sat patiently and watched Elsebe eat the fruit, her eyes closed in ecstasy. I soon found myself picking feverishly at the grass beneath me, imagining the maid's supple lips to be clinging to the hardness that I felt slowly starting up beneath my armor. I sighed exhaustedly, frustrated. I closed my eyes, slowly running my cold tongue across my lips, letting my mind wander into forbidden thoughts I dared not express to the poor young woman sitting in front of.

            "Sir Loki, is something wrong?" she asked, her crystalline voice echoing off my ear drums. I opened my eyes widely, not because I had heard her siren of a voice, but because she had placed her small hand atop mine which was bared just about into the dirt beneath the grass. I glanced down at Elsebe's hand on mine. I swore she gasped ever so slightly, tearing it away, replacing it in the pocket of her apron. I smiled slowly.

            "Of course not," I said, "Addressing me as Loki will suffice," I added, grinning. It wasn't that I didn't feel a sense of power when she addressed me with a proper title, I simply wanted her to feel a bit more comfortable around me, in the hopes that my advances would stop frightening her. Elsebe's eyes had wandered off towards my horse. She gazed at it as if with longing. I glanced back at the creature who stood awaiting me idly and obediently.

            "You want to ride him," I said.

            "I'm sorry?" Elsebe said, her gaze falling back to me, as if she'd forgotten I was there.

            "Oh—I was just admiring him," she said, shyly looking down and leaning back a bit, so that she was further away from me. It pained me to feel the way that I felt. All I wanted was to tackle her, rip the rags from her virgin flesh, and desecrate it, but I controlled myself. I frightened myself a moment, wondering where I'd begun to have such morbid thoughts. The thought of hurting her had caused me to feel a mite of excitement.

            "Do you wish to pet him? Would it relieve any of your distress?" I inquired sweetly. Elsebe met my eyes in what seemed to be amazement.

            "He's fairly friendly, although he generally doesn't take too kindly to strangers. But I know he would like you," I said reassuringly. I had to find a way to get Elsebe closer to me—even if only for a minute, just long enough so that I might renew the scent of her, replicate it by spells in my sheets to lie down to at night. Elsebe slowly grinned and nodded. I felt successful in my endeavor as I rose and offered my hands to the maid. She stared up into my eyes with hesitation.

            "I won't let him hurt you. I promise," I said with a smile. She had solid reason not to believe me, but she knew that she was the help now, and denying me would not have been the wiser option. Elsebe's little hands practically shook with unease as she reached for mine. I lifted her just about bodily and started cautiously towards Lunt, who fixed his black gaze upon us and neighed slightly as I made my way towards him. When I was just about a foot away, I felt Elsebe freeze. I turned back to look at her. She was staring at Lunt, the horse equally focused on her.

            "Do not be afraid," I coaxed. Slowly, Elsebe took another step, until I guided her between myself and Lunt. There she was, a foot of space between us, so that I could have leant forth and buried my nose into her curls. I directed Elsebe's hands against Lunt's shining mane. He stepped only slightly as I pulled her hand along his body slowly, intimately, in every way that allowed me to keep my hands on Elsebe's long enough to appease my tortured senses.

            "See? He's tolerant. He won't bite," I said, slowly leaning forward. I drew Elsebe's hand again down Lunt's mane. He whinnied pleasantly. Elsebe gasped just beneath her breath. I grinned. She was _so_ scared, so fragile. I could have easily broken her hands, had I squeezed them with less strength than I already knew myself capable of.

            "You've never pet a horse before?" I asked her, somewhat surprised, as she had been a farm girl. I assumed she had been around horses before. Elsebe slowly turned her face to the side as I guided her hand again through Lunt's mane and along his neck.

            "I used to like them. I had always wanted one because my family didn't have them. But I guess I stopped wanting one so much the day my parents were killed in a riding accident."

I paused in dragging Elsebe's hands over Lunt's body. It became clear to me then why she'd been so hesitant to step near the creature in the first place. I lowered my mouth a bit closer to her ear.

            "I am deeply sorry," I said quietly. Elsebe stood up straight and froze, as if I had stabbed her clear through with a dagger and she was in shock. She turned away, back to Lunt, so that I couldn't see her face.

            "I don't want to be afraid anymore," she said, and for the first time, I noticed her to be shaking slightly. The whole time we'd stood there, I had been traumatizing her with every movement of our hands over the horse's coat.

            "He won't hurt you," I said again, "Do you want to try and ride him?" I asked. Elsebe suddenly pulled her hands from my grasp and turned around. I was caught off guard by her sudden motions as she unsuccessfully sought a way out from between Lunt and myself. She quickly came to find herself trapped and her shoulders dropped slightly.

            "Don't be scared," I said gently.

            "I want to move away," she said, placing a hand over her chest, where I knew the heart beat rapidly, as did mine, but I knew Elsebe's to beat out of fear. She stepped to one side and I took that chance to grab her by the waist. She screamed and the sound slightly bothered my ears, but let go of her, I did not. She wasn't going to get away from me again. I levitated enough so that I could place her on the saddle, quickly seating myself behind her. I gripped the reigns, simultaneously securing Elsebe in place with the length of my left arm around her middle. She screamed a second time and looked about to find herself high from the ground. I lightly kicked against Lunt's ribs and he started to trot gently about the orchard. Elsebe wailed and clung to his mane, although she would not have fallen from my iron grip. I proceeded to ride about until Elsebe stopped screaming, understanding that she was perfectly safe with me. I sped up a bit and subsequently saw Elsebe grip Lunt's mane tighter. With regret, I felt myself hardening even further with the up-and-down motions of Lunt's galloping. I couldn't have kept Elsebe from feeling my desperation where my body was forcibly pressed against her back. She glanced to and fro unsurely, and I slowed to a stop, venturing behind some tall fruiting trees, where I knew we remained out of sight. Elsebe was beginning to lean away from me, but I held her fast.

            "I—I want to get down," she said, " _Please_."

I wanted anything but to move.

            "Alright," I said, deciding it best I not push my luck. I hopped down off of Lunt and Elsebe gasped, throwing her arms around his neck, for fear that she would fall. I laughed, but wasted no time in wrapping my hands around her waist and pulling her down safely, slowly. Elsebe gawked at me as if she could not believe my strength, her hands clutching my arms as I lowered her to her feet. She looked as if she wished to say something, but she refrained. Her eyes, however, glanced down between us, where I knew that even for the slightest of seconds, her gaze had fixed upon my unignorable erection. She looked away from it just as soon as she had looked at it. I fought a raunchy smile deftly.

            "Thank you," she said unsurely, but when she went to move away, I couldn't take it anymore. I held her chin fast with my right hand and grabbed her waist tightly with my left. Elsebe gasped. I looked deeply into her eyes and they scurried away from mine, until she closed them.

            "I will have you, Elsebe," I said, "one way or another. You are the most beautiful maid I have ever laid eyes on, and I intend to make love to you. When I do this, you will tell _no one_. I also intend for you to remain sole curator of my chambers…do you understand me?" I spoke very clearly and calmly, just about feeling Elsebe's pulse where I held her fragile chin. I watched her cheeks flush to a deep grenadine. Her breathing caught a moment, and she kept her eyes closed. She dared not move an inch. Elsebe was silent.

            "I believe I asked you a question," I said calmly. When she didn't answer, I leant into her, causing my erection to brush against her body. As I had expected her to, she stumbled back against Lunt. Her eyes opened. I scanned her face rapidly, awaiting any sign of denial or fear, but she looked to be vacant, as if she no longer cared what became of her. I burned to kiss her lips, which pouted out beneath my grasp. She inhaled sharply.

            "…" Elsebe nodded.

            "No, no, no—that simply won't do. I need an answer, woman. _Answer_ me."

Elsebe shook her head again, this time hastily. I tightened my grip on her lovely face and she gasped again.

            "Say the words—tell me. ' _Y_ _es_ , Loki,'" I demanded, nearly violently. I felt my nostrils flare with impatience. If anyone was to have her, it would be me. I wanted reassurance of this. I _could have_ taken her right then and there, held her down against the ripe grass where no one would have seen or heard, but despite my feral thoughts, I aimed to have her accept me without force.

            "Yes, Loki," she said desperately, and the way she sighed it, oh, I nearly came undone! Elsebe turned her face to the side, away from my gaze.

            "Please don't," she said to me for the second time ever. It made me hard with madness.

            "Don't what?" I asked, in a velvety sweet voice. Elsebe took a deep breath, and slowly calmed down when she realized I did not mean to harm her.

            "I do not jest...Do not be late with my morning provisions again. Do you understand?" I wanted to kiss her, I wanted to touch every naked part, but I eased up and let go of Elsebe's waist. She started away from me in a daze. I turned to watch her walk away, and she never looked back. I sunk to my knees in the grass, aching for all the things I couldn't see above her maid's uniform.

 

 

            When I awoke, I did so because my dreams had excited me to the point of waking myself with an unexpected release. Elsebe tormented my dreams; always near to me…as I chased her, she was yet forever out of reach. I felt a rage that hadn't incensed me in some time. I pulled the quilt back wearily to find the mess I had made upon the sheets. Had I not been sleeping naked, the silk would have at least been saved. I growled to myself, catching the faintest glimpse of the last passing moments of the night through the window, where the curtains were slightly open. My seed dripped thickly down my thighs as I began to rise slowly and pull the sheets from the bed. I knew that in a short hour or so, Elsebe would be knocking at my door with the morning provisions I had instructed her to bring me. The thought of watching her scurry away in my presence only began to excite me again. I sighed with exasperation. Could I not at least have her in my dreams?! I was bedeviled. I felt so much desire that I nearly wept. I simply swiftly pulled everything off my bed, knocking all of the cushions to the floor. I paced back and forth a moment before summoning her undergarment which had been sitting stashed atop my tall bookcase. But when I pressed the linen to my nose, desperate for any essence of the young maid, I found the fabric to be scentless. I threw it aside, atop my sheets and quilts, starting for the washroom where I curtly shut the door. I ran the water hot and stared angrily in the mirror as I prepared myself a bath. I sunk deeply and slowly into the tub, letting my hands rest on the sides. I closed my eyes and leant my head back, imagining the heat engulfing me to be the precious maw between the maiden's unexplored thighs. I didn't need to touch myself to know I was hardening all over again. I swallowed hard the lump in my throat, imagining what it might be like to lay against Elsebe's breasts, listen to her heart beat skittishly at my touch. Her uneasiness about me made me feel powerful. I would soon have her kneeling at my feet. I relaxed at last and nearly fell asleep again when I heard a gasp. I sat up startled from my thoughts to find Elsebe's eyes wide, fumbling with the towels she had been carrying. She nearly dropped them, tearing her eyes away from me uncomfortably.

            "I'm sorry, prince!" she called, stuffing the clean towels in the corner before beginning to rush out of the room, and in the doorway she tripped and fell, earning a rather loud _bang_ against the stone floor. Her sweet voice gasped again, and shortly a wail escaped her. By this time, I had gotten out of the tub and stood dripping just a foot away from where she laid. Elsebe turned around on her side and sat on her behind, rocking slightly as she nursed the knee of her right leg. Her eyes were closed tightly in pain and a few tears escaped her eyes. I rushed to her attention, forgetting the privacy of the context entirely. I wished for any excuse to put my hands upon her, and I would have been damned had I not taken it. Elsebe inhaled sharply, clutching her knee, which was pleasantly exposed above her maid uniform. I was kneeling before her where I grabbed her sweet leg in both my hands. The young woman's eyes popped open in surprise and she gasped again. She didn’t bother to try and pull away from me as I examined her knee, which grew swollen with bruising. I gazed down into her eyes a moment to find the tears still spilling there. I kept my eyes fixed on hers as I lowered my lips to her skin. The inhale Elsebe took caused my pulse to quicken. She went completely still as I kissed her. I finally closed my eyes, taking a great inhale. Oh, how she smelled innocent. I resisted the urge to knock her dress the rest of the way off and take her where she sat on my bathroom floor. Elsebe whimpered and I looked up to find her still crying. I slowly released her knee and reached for her beautiful face. She finally pulled back a bit, angling her cheek out of the way of my hand, but I felt it nonetheless.

            "I'm not going to hurt you," I said calmly. I waited a handful of seconds. Elsebe's eyes widened as she looked down at me, and I finally realized that I was still naked. She covered her eyes with both hands, and I smiled and laughed to myself. Her chastity was almost childlike, riddled with an undeniable shyness that caused me to smile.

            "You are indecent," she said quietly, sheepishly.

            "You have never seen a man naked?" I inquired. Elsebe's lips trembled, and she stayed silent. She tried to slide away from me, but winced and grabbed at her knee again, keeping her eyes closed.

            "Let me help you," I said gently. Slowly, I got up. I pulled one of the fresh towels about my waist, and then I reached down to pick Elsebe up. She gasped yet again when she felt her body leave the floor. Finally she opened her eyes to find me carrying her. I brought her to my bare bed and sat her slowly on the edge.

            "I-it was an accident," she said desperately, as if afraid I would be angry that she'd fallen. I laughed.

            "You are so jumpy and scared, woman. There is no need to be."

Elsebe rubbed her knee gently, and I slowly stooped until I was at eye level with her. She avoided my gaze, as if I were not even there. I placed my hands atop hers and she paused, her eyes widening, yet steering clear of my gaze. I exposed her knee.

            "It's not broken. Only a little bruised," I said. I knew my breath ever so lightly caressed Elsebe's skin, and she ever so slightly flinched. I held her leg in both my hands and shamelessly pressed my lips against the wound again, until gradually, Elsebe ventured to touch me back. I felt her small hands on my bare shoulders. Her touch was tantalizingly gentle. I wished for the nails of her fingertips to dig into my flesh, but she neither moved her hands, nor made any serious effort to push me back. Instead she sighed. There was a knock on my chamber doors, breaking the trance Elsebe's skin had put me into. She was the first to stand up and away. I stood up and turned towards the door.

            "Who is it?" I called a bit impatiently. I immediately recognized the voice of my big brother.

            "I'm _not_ finished getting ready, Thor. I will meet you later. Go away," I said, re-wrapping the towel that had begun to unravel itself from my waist. Elsebe had disappeared into my bathroom, as when I turned around again, she wasn't in my field of vision. I sighed and pushed my hands through my hair. I had been _so_ close. She had let me touch her. Thor did not stop slamming on my door. I stomped over to it and pulled it open. Thor smiled and I resisted the urge to smash his face in.

            "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" he asked me. I narrowed my eyes at him sourly. Elsebe's hurried footsteps made their way towards us and Thor stared past me as she balanced a tray that had been left on my table the previous night. My brother frowned upon seeing Elsebe there cleaning up. I knew that he did not like her, and I longed even more to hit him. Clenching my fists sufficed.

            "Another horse race, brother?" Thor inquired, tearing his gaze away from Elsebe and smiling at me. I grinned evilly.

            "Sore loser, I see."

            " _No_ ," said Thor, although I knew it was written all over his face that he _was_ in fact sore that I'd beaten him before. I laughed. Thor shrugged in an attempt to appear as if he didn't care, but I knew that he did.

            "Meet me shortly after noon, and you can have your rematch, brother," I said. I began to close the door in Thor's face, and as I did so, Elsebe managed to sneak out beneath my arm and right past Thor. She had gotten away, _again_. I was going to teach Thor a lesson.

 

            I dined alone, having been too frustrated to be in the presence of anyone else. I meant to trample Thor's pride in our next race, and I did just that. He trotted off after the third rematch, finally admitting that I'd won fair and square. I road Lunt back to the stables, and as I was securing him in his quarters, I caught the end of a billowing garment further inside the stable. A horse neighed, and as I silently approached, I heard Elsebe's laugh. My heart bounced. I heard a crunching noise and shortly came upon the sight of Elsebe feeding a pony apples which she had collected in her apron. The young colt was much smaller than Lunt, who I had forced Elsebe to ride, and I sensed that she was much less afraid of him, even than me. I leant against a stall and silently watched Elsebe for a full five minutes. She finally turned around and nearly jumped out of her skin, clasping her heart with both fragile hands. I stood up away from the wall and made sure I completely blocked her path, so that she would have had to pass quite closely by me in order to leave in either direction. Elsebe's eyes closed tightly a moment.

            "Sir…you scared me," she said.

            "I know," I responded blankly. Elsebe opened her eyes. I knew her heart raced at the sound of my voice.

            "I thought I told you to call me Loki," I grinned, slyly folding my hands behind my back. Elsebe swallowed with what looked like difficulty. I glanced around as if I hadn't seen the stables before.

            "Odd, this is the last place I expected to find _you_."

Elsebe stared at my feet.

            "I-it was quiet. F-Frigga wanted to show me the babies," she said, glancing back at the pony.

            "They don't frighten you," I said, taking a step towards Elsebe. She stared upwards at me.

            "Do _I_ frighten you?" I asked, pausing just a few feet away from Elsebe. She clutched anxiously at her apron, and I noticed the flush of her cheeks as she continued to stare down at my feet.

            "Do you remember what I told you?" I asked gently.

            "Not to be late with your morning provi—"

            "No," I interrupted her carefully, "Well, yes. That, too. But do you remember what else I told you?"

            "…To call you Lo—"

            " _No_ ," I said again, closing the gap between us so that Elsebe had to look up to me in order to not have her face in my chest. Her lips fell open and this amazed and anxious look washed over her face. She did not speak; she knew precisely what I was speaking of. Elsebe swallowed hard.

            "Did I scare you this morning, when I kissed your knee?" I asked gently. Elsebe's cheeks reddened again and she closed her eyes, shifting on her feet. I imagined the bruise to be darker now. I wished badly to cup her knee again and kiss it. I _had_ to touch her. It was driving me mad.

            "May I have permission to kiss you again?" I asked. Elsebe kept her eyes shut. Her lips parted, but she kept silent. I reached down slowly and touched the side of her face. She neither leant into my hand, nor backed away from it. I felt that I was just beginning to gain her trust.

            "And you know not to speak of this to anyone," I said. I waited. When Elsebe didn't answer me, I grabbed her wrist with my other hand and she looked up into my eyes. She nodded.

            "Speak, woman," I said.

            "I would not speak," she said. Whether she was afraid or felt helpless, I wasn't sure, but she did not deny me when I brought my lips full force upon hers. She didn't move an ounce as I pulled her up against my body, my armor, wishing it wasn't the barrier keeping our skin from making contact. I had my lips against Elsebe's for a handful of seconds. I pulled back and scanned her face, where her eyes were open.

            "Open your mouth, Elsebe," I said. At that, she began to tremble. I fought the grin I felt.

            "It won't hurt," I promised. She appeared completely unskilled in any carnal arts. Her breathing skipped. Slowly, I lowered my face to Elsebe's again. She had her hands at her sides and was trembling. When I slowly covered her small mouth with my own, I swore I tasted a sweetness that I had never tasted before; she was absolutely delicious. To my utter surprise, she stopped shaking and began to lift her hands to my chest, where she placed them against my armor. I wished that there was nothing separating her hands from my skin, as my heart beat unbearably against my ribs. I pulled Elsebe off her feet further, until she was completely in my arms, _mine_. I did not wish to let her go, but soon realized that she was pushing against my chest, having been holding her breath. I exhaled into her mouth and my breath went down her throat. I felt her sigh against my face through her nose as I forced her to breathe. I had begun to step towards the wall, where I supported her carefully, scooping back her dress hastily so that I could feel the skin there. Her thighs were heated against my cool palms, and her gasp sucked the air from my lungs. I shared my breaths with her. I had the maiden propped up against the wall so that her legs straddled my waist. I immediately became aroused. Elsebe's small hands gravitated around my neck and I caressed her thighs. She had finally succumbed to me. I licked at her tongue and she groaned awkwardly, attempting to escape mine by tucking hers further into her mouth, which was small enough that I found it again and mercilessly stroked it with my own. Elsebe began to pull her head back, and I was surprised to find that she begun to laugh the more I scraped my tongue against hers. I let her breathe and she inhaled sharply, an odd smile upon her face. I grinned.

            "It…tickled," she said. I exhaled with relief, but the feeling quickly faded when my desperation stiffened further. Elsebe shifted about my waist and pressed firmly against my chest.

            "Please," she said.

            "Please what?" I asked gently. I knew she wanted me to put her down, as her nervousness intensified and she began to look about frantically as if to seek an escape. I let her down off the wall and she stared up at me a moment, her lips trembling. She turned to start away from me and I grabbed her wrist. She glanced back at me and we exchanged fierce glances a moment. And then I let her go and she walked out of the stable…

 

            When I left my horse, I walked about the palace trying to calm myself down. Elsebe had let me close enough to her that I began to believe she was coming to trust me. She was no doubt a virgin, and that only whet my desire. I shivered at the thought of how fragile she might be beneath me, and I longed for the moment to come that she would let me that close. I knew she would not have said a word to anyone about my indiscretions towards her. Even if she _had_ , she understood her place here; it was punishment. I began to debate furiously with myself whether she had succumbed out of fear or a complete lack of care in what might become of her. How could it have gotten any worse? She would never see her sister again. As I sat dining, I paused a moment and glanced across the table at Thor arguing over something pathetic with father, and tried to imagine what it might be like to be taken away from my family, never to see them again. Perhaps the maiden found comfort in the fact that mother was watching over her. As I thought about the young woman, I gradually stopped eating. I politely excused myself and made my way to my chambers. I pushed the doors open with a sigh, and when I came upon Elsebe shining my helmet, I stopped dead in my tracks. She looked up at me and paused in her work. I hid my grin. I turned around and closed my chamber doors. Elsebe had made my bed and she looked about ready to leave as I approached.

            "No, finish what you are doing," I said in an authoritative tone. Elsebe continued to shine my helmet, and as her small hands worked over the horns, I could not help imagining them working over my manhood. The mere _sight_ of her excited me. I crossed my arms and watched her work. She was hurried in her movements, and when she finally put my helmet down, she stood up away from my desk and stared at the floor, clasping her hands nervously in front of her.

            "I've told you before, but let me say it again," I said gently, "I'm not going to hurt you." Yet even as I said these words, I imagined tackling her to the cold marble floor and doing things that would have caused her to be very loud.

            "Come," I said, backing up slowly and motioning towards my perfectly made bed. Elsebe stared over at the bed and then at me.

            "Sit," I said. Elsebe stayed where she stood. I didn't move. I saw her glance towards the door.

            "If you do not wish for me to touch you, I shall do no such thing. I merely wish to speak with you," I said. I lied, I wanted to do everything to her. Elsebe started towards my bed unsurely. When she sat there uncomfortably and gazed up at me with such innocence, I almost succumbed to my baser thoughts.

            "I haven't done anything wrong, have I, sir?" she asked me.

I laughed. Elsebe looked confused. I knelt so that I was on one knee, looking directly into her eyes. Elsebe leant back a ways. I couldn't fight my frown.

            "I only wanted to take another look at your knee," I said, reaching for Elsebe's skirt and pausing.

            "Is that alright?" I asked her. She was silent as she thought it over a moment. She nodded, and as I brushed back her dress, I made sure that my ands lightly touched her skin. Elsebe's knee was a dark purple and she winced as I latched my hands around the back of her knee.

            "Why are you being so kind to me?" Elsebe asked. She rarely spoke so frankly, and I knew the expression of surprise on my face was genuine when I met her eyes again.

            "I am not like Thor. I would not take to you unkindly when you have done me no personal offense."

I stared at Elsebe's knee. She stared right back down at it. I moved in carefully, but this time I didn't kiss her, I rested my head between her parted knees, and sighed, grabbing hold of her so that she wouldn't easily have jumped out of my grasp. Elsebe was quiet and when I moaned, she started. I pulled her foot towards my lap and removed the shoe. She gasped. I looked back up into her eyes and waited. She reached for my face, but never touched it. Instead, Elsebe placed her hands on my shoulders and pushed gently.

            "I have not been spoiled by any man before. It would be wrong…"

I applied my lips to Elsebe's kneecap, not breaking eye contact. I heard her sigh and knew that my ministrations brought her pleasure. I pinched her toes between my fingers and tightened my hold around her knees. Her cheeks flushed. I liked this.

            "I am not accustomed to—"

She gasped and stood still, her hands gripping my quilt beneath her.

            "Do you remember what I told you?"

Elsebe looked away. She shook her head.

            "Sir, I am your _maid_ ," she said. I slowly parted her legs and she didn’t stop me, not even when I lifted her dress and pushed it up further past her delicate knees.

            "That's right," I said, kissing her other knee, "Mine." She appeared to enjoy what I was doing, and her opposition halted. She simply watched me with wide eyes.

            "Is this a trick?" she asked me unsurely. She was so unlearned at times that it amused me. I sat up and began to pull off my armor, exposing my chest. I put it aside gently on the floor, Elsebe having backed up a bit over my mattress. I quite enjoyed the way she looked there. I pounced without warning and trapped her beneath my frame, coaxing her to lie down so that I could lie atop her. She went as far back as her elbows, which she rested upon, still gripping the quilt. The way Elsebe's breasts fit against my chest was beyond comforting. Elsebe's breathing became uneven, even as all I did was caress her hair. I planted kisses on her forehead and she did not back away.

            "It feels good, doesn't it?" I asked breathily. I slowly made my way down her face, between her eyes, until finally I met her mouth. I waited for her to make a move. She very chastely kissed my bottom lip with a closed mouth. I kissed her back, bringing Elsebe to lie fully down against the quilt. She merely breathed beneath me as I broke the kiss to admire her beauty. She didn't try to push me off when I began to fidget with my trousers. But as I attempted to bring her hand to explore my groin, there was a fiendish knock on my chamber doors. I pulled off of Elsebe, leaving her to the cold air. To my delight, she looked at me as though I had robbed her. I tilted my head towards the bathroom, and she scurried away there. I went to answer the door. Thor stood there with a big, fat, stupid smile on his oafish face. I wished to pummel him to pieces.

            "You didn't want dessert, brother?" I felt irate. Elsebe carried her cleaning rags out of the bathroom. Thor glanced over my shoulder and cocked his brow.

            "Can't you see I am retiring for the night?" I asked him as patiently as I could muster.

I heard Elsebe trip and fall behind me. Thor laughed. I knew I could not have simply shut the door on him with Elsebe still in my chambers. As stupid as my brother was, I knew he would have begun to put the pieces of the puzzle together. I stood aside to let Elsebe walk out of my room, but as she went, Thor made an effort to trip her a second time. She dropped the rags she was carrying and fell flat on her hands. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

            "Clumsy," I said as carelessly as I could manage. Elsebe stood up slowly and gathered her things before sparing me a very hurt glance and hurrying off.

            "Enjoy your sleep, little brother," Thor said before starting off. I stood there fuming.


	2. Ravished

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Serious dom. I can't be bothered to replace all the italics that are now missing from copying and pasting. Please forgive the random inconsistencies in formatting...

 

           When I laid my head down, heated and bothered as the thoughts were, I devised a plan inside it, one that would prevent the young woman and I from interruption a second time. Thor usually slept later on Sundays, and I reckoned the timing would be perfect to keep him from coming to knock on my chamber doors. I slept in utter discomfort, imagining how close I had been. She had let me touch her. I knew I would have had her in each and every way I desired, had that oaf not come knocking on my doors. I calmed myself by thinking the plan through. There was no way I would let her leave unscathed again. When I awoke, the sun nearly blinded me. The hardness at my hips was tantalized, as the dreams slowly faded from my eyes with each blink. The doors slowly opened, cautiously. When Elsebe saw that I was sitting up, awake, she gasped slightly and went to close the doors again. I reached out a hand and swiftly pulled the doors open. Simultaneously, I pulled in the maid, who nearly spilled the tea she carried for me. I was barely awake, but the magic I’d used was strong enough to send Elsebe flying across the room, had I so desired her to. She gasped and caught herself, and with a wave of my hand, I shut and locked my chamber doors. I stepped out of bed, at the very least clothed from the waist down. I desired not to frighten Elsebe away. 

           "It’s alright," I said, "You may come in. Please," I said gently, watching her cautiously. Elsebe turned to stare at the doors a minute. 

           "I do not wish to frighten you. You may begin your task of organizing my things," I said, walking towards the washroom. I shut the door carefully, and pressed my ear upon it. I heard Elsebe place the pitcher on my table, and I knew she began to make the bed from the gentle swoosh of the sheets only several feet away from me. I pulled my pants off and grumbled at my excited flesh. I intended to take care of it in the bath, which I ran, and washed myself hurriedly. I spilled my seed down the drain before getting out and realizing I had no clean towels. I smiled at myself in the mirror and pulled the washroom door full open. I stood there dripping wet, stark naked. Elsebe looked up at me with widened eyes, carefully keeping her innocent gaze above my waist. I laughed slightly and took one of the towels from her hands. She stood there with arms full of clean linens, waiting for me. 

           "I—I didn’t want to interrupt you,” she said, closing her eyes. I pulled the towel over my arms and chest, drying my skin. 

           "Elsebe," I said gently. 

           "Yes, sir?" 

           "Look," I said. She kept her eyes closed. I wrapped my hand firmly around her wrist and she gasped and dropped the towels she was holding. She dove for them instantly, and I joined her on the floor, snatching her other wrist out of control. Nothing was covering me, and I knew that she saw me in my full glory, as her eyes widened again before she looked away. I laughed once. 

           “Look, woman,” I said again, “If it pleases you to look,” I added gently, cocking a brow. Oh, how her hands shook, but the blood rushing to her face and chest told me it pleased her very much. There was an odd mix of fear and bewilderment upon her face.

           "Look at me, my dear…I am no threat," I said gently. Elsebe’s eyes stayed fixed upon my manhood. 

           "Have you never seen this before?" I asked out of blatant curiosity. Elsebe smiled ever so slightly, sheepishly turning her eyes away again. I tilted my head to meet her gaze.

            "I told you sir…I am chaste." 

I grinned. 

           "My name is Loki, Elsebe. I told you to call me that," I said, straightening up so that my chest stuck out proudly. I towered over the woman, so that she had to look up at me in order to meet my gaze. 

           "Loki," she said. 

           “Yes,” I hissed, and this seemed to frighten her. She began to pull away, but let go of her, I did not. I stood up, taking her with me. 

           "Loki," she said unsurely. 

           "Yes?" I inquired, grinning and stepping back, towards my made bed. Elsebe’s lips parted to speak again, but she refrained, her eyes continuously passing over my nudity in a shy and avoidant way, fleeting every which way with awareness that I noticed her curious gaze. I caused the backs of Elsebe’s knees to meet my bed, where she gasped and fell. She began to crawl backwards unsurely, in attempts to create space between us. The look in her eyes was one of yearning, and I knew she was curious about me, but perhaps not so much in the same way that I was curious about her. I knelt at the foot of my bed and grabbed Elsebe’s ankle. She began to pull at my arm and stare at the door with slight apprehension in her eyes. 

           "Don’t worry," I said, pulling her towards me carefully. Elsebe’s eyes only stared me down unsurely, "We will not be interrupted again, not until after I have deflowered you,” I said almost impatiently. I swore I felt her pulse quicken as I bade her to sit before me on my bed. I pushed her knees apart and brought my hands beneath her maid’s skirt. Elsebe gasped and closed her eyes again, the lips tightening suddenly, as if to defeat all sound. Her reactions to my touch only whetted my appetite and I pulled her even closer, grabbing a thigh and squeezing it so that my nails embedded gently into the heated skin. I pulled at her undergarment, until it was around her ankles, at which point I let it drop to the floor. Elsebe’s eyes popped open again. She put her hands on my shoulders hesitantly. 

           "I know you liked it before," I said coldly. Elsebe stared towards the window, avoiding my gaze. 

           "We…we shouldn’t…I’m—” 

           "Why did you wait until I came out of the bath? You could have left those here and gone," I said, gesturing slightly with my head towards the pile of towels behind me, "Why didn’t you?" I pushed up her skirt to reveal her legs, those long, succulent limbs. I clutched the backs of the knees. 

           "I don’t…" she trailed off. 

           "Hmm?" I asked, cocking a brow slyly before applying my lips to her knee. Elsebe sighed, and she could not have hidden it from me to be a sigh made out of anything other than pleasure. I opened my mouth so that the wetness on the insides of my cheeks touched her. I exhaled deeply against the maid’s skin, causing goose flesh. She pushed at my shoulders and a drop of water fell from my hair against her leg. She gasped as a result. I wrapped my arms around her waist then, pulling her even closer. She looked down at me and I caught the faintest glimmer of sensuality in her innocent eyes. 

           "Have you ever touched yourself? You have no doubt heard the other maids converse about the pleasures of the flesh. Don’t play dumb with me," I breathed. Elsebe blushed again. 

           "Tell me," I coerced, pushing her dress up ever further to find her stomach before my eyes. I kissed it and she let her hands fall back against the quilt, her head tilting. 

           "Have you ever touched yourself here?” I asked, placing one of my large hands firmly between her legs after forcing them further apart. Elsebe gasped and grabbed at my wrist. I kept my hand in place against the force of her halfhearted protests. Slowly, Elsebe nodded. 

           "I’ve been…curious…you could say. But it never gave me pleasure. Merely discomfort," she admitted, dismissing my gaze again. 

           "I am going to touch you here," I said, backing up a bit so that I could grip her face with both hands. Elsebe’s eyes merely scanned me emptily. 

           "You have never been taken?” I asked again. I knew the answer, but I only wanted it confirmed. Of all the things that were rightfully mine that had been stolen away, I would not have allowed the woman to be another one of those things. Elsebe shook her head. 

           "But you have touched yourself, found it discomforting," I added. Elsebe blushed and began to pull my hands from her cheeks. 

           "I liked it when you kissed me," she whispered, though finally a confession that brought an honest smile to my face. 

           "That can be arranged, Elsebe." I gripped her hips again. She looked unsure, so I loosened my grip slightly, if only to allow her to feel some slight sense of control. 

           "What’s the matter?" I asked, kissing her hand gently. I was struggling to control myself as it was, but I didn’t want her to change her mind at the last minute. Elsebe’s gaze trotted again towards my chamber doors, and suddenly I feared that she did not fear interruption, but that she wanted to leave. 

           "No one will bother us again—I promise. I’ve hexed the doors for now,” I said reassuringly. Elsebe sighed. Her sweet breath…my heart skipped beats and my eyes closed. I felt her hands on my face then. She had taken me by complete surprise, touching me at all. I wanted nothing more than to rip her from my bed and fuck her savagely on the floor, and yet I was so close to having her let me do it that I feared destroying my chance. I opened my eyes and found the maid looking down on me with ultimate curiosity and…purity. I would rob her of this. I smiled. 

           "Your eyes are like emeralds," she said. It was my turn to blush.

           I moaned an exhale, pulling her off the bed and into my lap, pressing my lips upon hers carefully. I pressed her body up against my bed, so that her head was resting upon it. She crooned beautifully as I trailed kisses down her neck, taking care to unbutton the garment until I could slide the entire dress up over her head. She let me take it off so easily. Elsebe sat naked upon my own bare knees. I paused to stand and pick her up. Slowly, I carried her to my bed and placed her upon it. She looked up at me and was so beautiful that I nearly wept. She was fully developed, a woman, the bountiful breasts slightly red with arousal, her hips widened with ripeness and fecundity. I was hard then. I crawled atop her and she gasped when I let my weight down a bit. With shaky hands, Elsebe gently touched my shoulders. I smiled. 

           "You can touch me," I said breathily, applying my lips to her forehead. She gently pulled a hand down my chest and I moaned. She gasped and pulled her hand away. I laughed. 

           "It’s alright," I assured her, "That was nice. You can do that to me, if you want to." 

Shyly, she touched my chest again and I closed my eyes and reveled in her delicate caress. It teased me. I wished she would dig her nails into my breast, but her featheresque caresses were enough to send me spiraling out of control. I grunted, rubbing against her. I knew she felt my erection against her leg. I sat upon my knees. 

           "Spread your legs, and let me show you what love feels like." Elsebe shied away from me again, crawling back on her elbows, but I grabbed her knee and pulled it up towards me. I dipped my index and middle fingers into my mouth, coating them with spit. I dragged the woman closer still and let my free hand rest in the space between her ribs and her arm, which laid nervously on the bed. She eyed me patiently, awaiting my next action. I gently pressed my wet fingers between her legs, and when I felt the heated maw there, she jumped and a pained noise escaped her lips. The beauty between her thighs tightened uncontrollably around my fingers, and Elsebe grabbed at my wrist, turning her hips out and away from my touch, but I delved my fingers deeper inside of her. At that, Elsebe’s knees snapped shut. I pried them apart with the hand that had been resting on the bed. I wanted to feel her every inch, every nook and cranny. The space within her slit felt limited and closed off, clenching and begging me to exit. I owed Elsebe’s response to her chastity and my sudden inability to resist testing her limits. Elsebe howled and sat up, prying at my wrist, a string of tears leaking from her eyes. I relieved her of my fingers and she took in a deep breath, a shaky breath. She wiped her eyes quickly, pushing at my chest. Part of me wanted to apologize, but the other part was enormously aroused. She had a musky scent that aroused me even more, and when I dipped my fingers again into my mouth, she tasted the same way, but sweet, and I could still picture her sitting in that field, indulging in fruit. I grabbed her hips and rubbed them gently. She seemed to calm down quite quickly. Elsebe did not resist me when I pressed her to lie down again. I gripped my swelling appendage and searched out her opening. Elsebe turned her face and eyes away from me as I struggled to find her. 

           "Help me," I pleaded desperately after a frustrating moment. She glanced down and reached between her legs, gripping me. I moaned, baring down hard on the mattress beneath us. Even her grip was enough to get me off. I saw the apprehension and amazement in Elsebe’s eyes all at once as she guided me to her entrance. Once the tip of me was engulfed inside her heat, I slipped in the rest of the way with some uneasiness; she was virginally tight and I felt her whole body tense up at the invasion that was my erection. It was difficult to get myself in as far as I wanted to be, until she stopped squirming beneath me and gave in entirely. Elsebe kept her eyes closed tightly, refusing to look at me as I groaned with ecstasy. Her body was a Valhalla all its own. I enjoyed the way her cunt strained to deal with my girth when I began to shift out of Elsebe ever so slightly, only to slip back in, with a bit more ease at each movement. She gripped my shoulders and cried a little. I felt a pang of guilt as a heavy tear travelled down her temple and into her ear, where she curtly turned her head to the right to rub it out. She was letting me hurt her, and I wondered what for. Did she desire me as I so desired her? I knew that there was darkness in me enjoying the trouble the woman had in adjusting to me. I felt…powerful, on top of it all for once. 

           "Does it hurt so much?" I asked kindly, pausing in my slight, gentle movements between her thighs, which still clung tightly to me with apprehension. Elsebe’s beautiful gaze found me then. She smiled timidly and pushed her hands through my hair. Elsebe confessed that the warmth of my body against hers was comforting, but she was far from relaxed. I was still inside of her then, trying to decipher her expression, her body squeezing me to a point that I could hardly have moved, anyway. She explained to me again, as shy as ever, that she was a virgin, and not accustomed to being touched in this manner at all. I ached to crash between her thighs uncouthly, but I had enough heart left that I tried to keep from injuring her. She lifted her head slightly to plant a kiss on my mouth. I smiled, and just as I leant down to return it, I finally heard Frigga’s voice calling me with agitation from behind my chamber doors. If anyone could have gotten through those doors, it was my mother. 

Elsebe quaked beneath me, nervous sounds coming from her mouth. She gently nudged at my chest as I turned my head to glance back at the chamber doors, where mother began to knock impatiently. 

           "No—shh, shh, shh,” I said, glancing back down at Elsebe with desperation. I wasn’t worried about getting caught bedding a maid, it was rather Elsebe’s curious circumstance that had caused me to be precautious. If Odin found out, I knew he would banish the maid, and she would be blamed for seducing the prince. I was not unaware of the reputation young maids incurred for sneaking around with other palace staff. I pressed my finger gently over Elsebe’s lips. 

           "Mother—I am a bit preoccupied…I will be with you shortly,” I called from the bed, not budging an inch off of the body beneath me. 

           "Shh," I said to her again. The slight fear in her eyes dissipated and I grinned. Mother walked off and I waited until I no longer heard her footsteps. The ache in my loins became unbearable and I aimed to quell it. I swayed my hips carefully between Elsebe’s thighs, feeling her insides tugging my manhood at the same time as they attempted to expel me. The young woman closed her eyes tightly again and I pressed my lips firmly to her forehead. 

           "Hold still," I breathed urgently when she continued to squirm beneath the weight of my hips again, turning her waist to and fro in what felt like attempts to cause me to slip away. She was not wholly engaged, nor had the passion that burned in me like a wildfire, but she did as I asked and took a deep, calming breath. The movements of my hips quickened into sharper in-and-out motions, until I felt myself so near that the muscles in my stomach ached with familiarity. I moaned, and with all the strength I could muster, I pulled out unceremoniously. Elsebe’s eyes flickered open and she stopped gripping my shoulders so tightly. I turned away from her as quickly as possible and my seed spilled across the quilt. I collapsed against the soft fabric and closed my eyes. Perhaps it had all been a dream and she wasn’t really lying naked on my bed, her legs still spread, marked with my essence. I tried to stabilize myself as my heart was wracked with by disbelief and amazement all at the same time. 

           "L…Loki?" came her sweet voice. I felt a small hand on my shoulder and subsequently turned my head to look at her. She had pulled a sheet free from the bed and covered herself, looking flustered and damaged, alive. I sat up slowly and stretched my body. The woman marveled at me and I couldn’t help feeling a gust of confidence as she blushed and smiled slightly, as if she didn’t want me to notice the hint of satisfaction in her visage. Without warning, I grabbed Elsebe and brought her up to kneel in front of me. I pushed my hands through her bush of luscious hair, and pulled it gently so that her chin rose towards me, forcing her gaze upwards. I tightened my grip and she trembled. 

           "You are to tell no one of this. Do you understand me?" I pulled her head back further and kissed at her neck. She smelled sweet, and I knew it was due to her time spent sneaking away to Frigga’s orchards. She was delectable to the taste and had I not mustered any self control, I would have surely bitten her beautiful neck. I sufficed to press my lips against it roughly, travelling to her throat. She moaned and I paused. Her hands gripped my shoulders again, desperately; she wanted me to continue. I laughed. 

           "I believe I asked you a question," I said as sternly as I could manage. I allowed Elsebe to lift her head. She answered me in the positive and I smiled. I cupped the heated maw between her legs and she gasped. 

           "This is mine now. Do you understand what that means?” I asked. Elsebe only stared up into my eyes with the gaze of an innocent doe. She opened her mouth but said nothing. 

           "You will come to me when I request you—at any time, at any place, for any reason—and you will give yourself to me in any manner that pleases me. You will not speak of it to Frigga, not to any of the other maids, to no one, and you will continue to be my maid…Do you understand that, Elsebe?” 

She nodded quickly before surprising me again by pressing her mouth to my throat, mimicking the same kisses I had applied to her. I laughed at the way it tickled, and let her continue for a moment. I then grabbed her arms roughly and forced her back. 

           "Patience, pet. I believe I asked you a question." I gripped her chin and when I spoke again, the lust dripped into my words relentlessly. 

           “Say it, that you understand.” I took pleasure in hearing her voice, as she spoke so little. 

           "Yes," she said. I knew I had won her over. 

           "You have just sworn your loyalty to me. When I am the king of Asgard, you will be rewarded, so long as you keep quiet and do everything I ask." Elsebe responded and I ran my hands down her back, pulling her body to mine. She shivered. I moaned into the top of her head, squeezing her nearly too hard for comfort. She sighed and began to push against me. I eased up before planting a messy kiss on her forehead. I rubbed my spit off her skin and blew the strands of hair from her eyes. 

           "I wish for you to speak more. When I talk to you, I will be given your voice in response." But she remained silent and blushed shyly. I let her go and went to the foot of my bed to pick up her uniform. 

           "Put this back on and sit there," I ordered. I walked naked to my closet and picked out my clothes, delighting in the sound of Elsebe getting back into her dress and tidying the bed. 

           "Uhm, Loki?" 

I turned around, my top half bare. Elsebe was staring at the quilt. 

           "Yes, pet," I said, starting towards her slowly. 

           "What do you want me to do with this?" she asked, pointing to the large, wet stain on the quilt that I had made. I smiled playfully. 

            "Nothing," I said, "Leave it there. No one is to enter my chambers but myself and my assigned maid. No one else will see it," I said, smiling. Elsebe blushed and sat down, watching me patiently. I felt utmost control then, and I liked it. She seemed obedient enough, as she hadn’t tried to run off yet. I pulled on my tunic and took to inspecting myself in the full length mirror. I caught a glimpse of Elsebe sitting upon my bed, her legs folded up there as she scraped at something inside her shoe. She was completely unaware of my watchful gaze. For a moment I was reminded of her garment which I had taken some time ago, which still sat atop my bookcase, her scent having left it. I smiled to myself, knowing I had no use of it now; I had the real thing. I walked to the desk and sat in the chair, picking up the brush that sat there. 

           "Come here," I said. Elsebe looked over at me and stepped off my bed. I held out the brush to her and she needed no further instruction. My hair was nearly completely dry as she began to pull the brush gently atop my head and down. But she did so very gently, as if afraid she would injure me. I laughed. I pulled her hand down harder over my head, "It won’t be groomed if you use no force." She inhaled sharply as I pushed my chair out and pulled her hastily into my lap, where her body made sharp contact with mine. I lowered my head a bit so that she could reach. Her hands were shaky then, as she placed one of them on my shoulders. 

           "Ow!" I screamed, pulling my head to the side and out of reach abruptly, feigning a pained expression. Elsebe gasped and her eyes widened she dropped the brush and touched my cheek, frantically apologizing. After a few seconds, I let out an uproarious laugh that I had been holding in. I could not have resisted playing with her a little bit. She looked flustered and placed her hands in her lap as I threw my head back, cackling. 

           "You couldn’t hurt me if you _tried_ , my pet. It was simply a jest,” I said calmingly, once I had collected myself. Elsebe stood up, and I quickly grabbed her waist and pulled her back down. 

           "Don’t be upset. I was joking," I said honestly, pulling my hand calmingly down her back. She didn’t look very happy then, and my smile faded. I leant in and placed a kiss on her cheek. 

           "You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen," I said. I watched the blood collect in Elsebe’s neck and cheeks at my words. Oh, I had her now.

 

 

           When some servant brought me to mother, she was out in her fields, standing at one of the trees. In a flash, I could recall Elsebe sitting there, collecting the fruit in her apron. I made my way over to mother. She was unaware of my presence until I spoke, startling her. 

           "Loki," she said, placing a hand over her heart. I couldn’t help smiling. 

           "You needed me, mother," I asked. I could still feel Elsebe’s stomach heated beneath mine, expanding and compressing nervously as I moved against her, and I closed my eyes to savor the memory of only a moment ago. 

           "Loki," mother said again, and I looked down upon her. 

           "Yes, mother." 

She sighed and plucked a ripe apple, handing it to me with a smile. 

          "Your handmaid…" she began. 

           "What about her?" my heart quickened a beat. 

           "Well, I have some pleasant news," Frigga smiled. 

           "And it is?" I asked, hiding the desperation in my voice. 

           "Well, after some thought and many conversations with your father, I have convinced him to allow her to return to her former residence and care for her sister. I have dried one too many tears to put up with this. Why should she be punished for the actions of only a few family members? I request your assistance in choosing a new chambermaid, as many of them are…reluctant to deal with your constant trickery on a daily basis,” mother finished with some exasperation, starting past me slowly. I was baffled and lost my words a moment. 

           "Wait. You mean to say she will no longer serve the palace?" 

Mother turned around, “Yes, that is precisely what I mean. That poor young woman barely has any family left. It would be wrong to separate her, for the rest of her days, from her sister to punish the brother. He has already paid his price with his life. There is no need to prolong the suffering of such a torn family.” There was that familiar compassion in my mother’s eyes as she continued on. I stood there a moment, trying to figure out how to say that the maid was mine, and I would not have her replaced. I stumbled after mother, clumsy with thought. 

           "Wait," I said. 

           "Mother, aren’t you being brash? It is the punishment of the family to serve the house of Odin—” 

           “Her punishment? I think not, Loki,” mother said, looking at me with some astonishment. I blinked slowly. 

           "The poor girl did nothing wrong. It was her brother’s fault she’s here as a maid in the first place, and she is no threat to your father. She doesn’t deserve to be punished this way, kept away from what little family she has left. Imagine yourself in her shoes; your parents are dead, your brother commits treason to Asgard, and then you are separated from your only piece of emotional comfort in it all? How well would you fare, Loki?" she asked me. I took a deep breath and kept my calm demeanor. 

           "Yes…it’s terrible. What I meant to say, mother, is that this young woman is the only maid who has understandably tolerated my sense of humor," I said, laughing, although I was nervous as sin and my heart beat rapidly. 

           "Mother, Elsebe laughs when I conjure snakes into her pockets. Think of all the countless old wenches I’ve frightened out of the palace with my tricks.” 

Frigga rolled her eyes and closed them. 

           "I want that woman reunited with her sister. I find it hard to believe that she enjoys your games, Loki. You have always been a skilled liar,” mother added, cocking a brow and grinning wryly at me. As she finally turned away, my shoulders dropped with what felt like failure. No, Elsebe was mine, and I would see to it that she stayed that way.

I cannot resist smiling as Elsebe serves me from the fruit platter she carries into the dining hall. I know that Thor is too busy choking in mid laughter on ale at something that Sif said to notice me casually, yet clandestinely, caress Elsebe’s rump, where she stands beside my chair. At that lightest touch, the maid still gasps, and nearly drops several slices of cantaloupe into my lap. She lets her wide eyes return to normal hastily and straightens herself up, smoothing out her apron and averting her gaze from me. I want her to look at me, to read my tacit instructions to meet me in my chambers in a matter of minutes when I finish eating, but she ambles away to serve Frigga, who smiles at her and nods in her motherly way. Elsebe smiles, and I see her teeth. I had not seen her smile this way previously, and out of nowhere, I feel a pang of frustration that I am not the reason that smile had graced her supple lips. 

 

 

           "Excuse me," I say to mother, wishing her goodnight before sitting up out of my chair and slowly following Elsebe from the hall. Once out of view, I wrap an arm about her waist, startling her, as she hadn’t even heard me coming.

            "Meet me in my quarters as soon as you are finished with whatever it is you’re doing now. You are going to spend the night with me," I order, leaning down into her ear. With that, I start off briskly in the other direction towards my chambers. Once I’m in there, I pace back and forth, trying to devise a plan to keep Elsebe in the palace, as a maid, as my concubine. I feel determined to have her stay, but if mother wants her reunited with what little family the maid has left, I know this is ultimately what will happen. And then I pause in my frantic steps, smiling; I would play on father and Thor’s desire to keep Elsebe enslaved for the crimes of her brother. Nearly an hour passes, during which time I stand in front of my mirror, brush my hair, and wait. When I decide I’ve had enough waiting, I sneer and start for the doors, wondering where Elsebe might be. To my relief, right before I swing the doors open, she knocks quietly. I pause and take a deep breath before pulling them open to find Elsebe standing there, wringing her hands. Her cleaning supplies are on the floor beside her, and before she has a chance to pick them up, I pull her into my chambers and shut the door. I take a moment to charm the locks to ensure neither interruption, nor an attempt to flee on the maid’s part. I turn around to find her hugging herself, trembling slightly. She gasps and jumps when I touch her back.

            "Are you cold, pet?" 

Elsebe shivers as a response, and she nods. I start for the bathroom, glancing back and pausing, until she comes to me with the obedience of a dog, and I clasp her wrist as I hurry towards the washroom. She stops in her tracks just outside the door, which I notice because I have to pull her inside. Elsebe trips slightly upon making her way over the threshold. I run the water hot, plugging the drain in the stone pool in the middle of the floor. Elsebe stares at it unsurely. 

           "Surely, you don’t believe that I wish for you to remain uncomfortable in my quarters?" 

She spares me a glance and remains silent. I sigh. 

           "I wish for you to speak when spoken to." 

Elsebe turns to me. 

           "I…my things are outside the door," she explains, "Let me go get—” 

I stand directly in the doorway when she eyes it. I narrow my gaze upon her fragile-looking waist. Elsebe rubs her arm nervously. I gesture to the tub. 

           "You won’t be doing any cleaning tonight, my dear," I grin, crossing my arms. I wait for Elsebe to disrobe, but she merely sends me an unsure slight grin before removing her shoes and hiking up her dress, just enough to expose the shins, before sitting on the washroom floor at the edge of the bathing pool. She lets her feet dangle into the heat and closes her eyes, sighing with relief. I know that I want her to disrobe entirely, but standing there as I watch her, the scene is pleasing enough. Elsebe closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. An expression of pure comfort washes over her face as her feet sway back and forth in the water, creating inviting ripples as the steam begins to cloud my view of her slightly. I disrobe, and quickly, smiling at the thought of her surprised expression when she opens her eyes to see me stark naked. I stand there a few seconds before starting around the tub with stealth. Elsebe’s eyes are still closed, and she appears to be lost in her own little world. I kneel behind her, so quiet, I know she never even heard me move. A moment passes, during which time I burn to touch her soft skin. She looks about suddenly, seeing that I’m no longer standing where she had last seen me. And then I grab her shoulders. Elsebe jumps halfway into the tub, before I catch her, the skirt of her dress soaking in the hot water. Her small hands rush to my arms, which are wrapped securely around her waist. 

          "You scared me," she says quietly, with honestly. Without warning, I tear the dress in half down the middle of Elsebe’s back. She gasps again, grasping the tub ledge and sitting up straight. 

           "Do you think I called you in here to soak your feet all night?" I inquire sardonically. 

           "Take this off—reveal yourself,” I demand, cringing at the desperation in my own voice. Elsebe sits stone still as I finish ripping the dress from her body, pulling it back and throwing it over my shoulder to the floor. I grab at her undergarments next, finding that she begins to sit up so that I can easily slide her underwear down her legs. They fall into the tub past her knees, soaking in the water. I laugh slightly with anticipation, before giving her a gentle nudge with both hands. She falls forward into the water. She turns in time to watch me easing in, the heat burning my flesh in a pleasant way for a few seconds. I draw my hands over the surface, watching as the ripples fade out towards Elsebe, whose breasts hide just beneath the surface. I step towards her, and she distances herself. I tilt my head to the side. 

           "I’m not going to hurt you," I explain yet again, and I know that part of me lies; I had thoroughly enjoyed the way she’d squirmed beneath me in discomfort the last time. 

           "You don’t believe me?" 

I stay where I am as she ventures to the other end of the tub, far away from me.

           "You ripped my dress," she says. I raise my brows, surprised that she begins to show me her anger. Until now, she had been emotionally flat, if not fearful. I laugh genuinely. 

           "Nothing a bit of magic can’t fix. Don’t fret over it." 

She crosses her arms, in what appears to be an attempt to hide what I can plainly see beneath the clear surface. 

           "…I’m sorry," I damn near choke out. I rarely apologize to anyone. She never looks at me. Instead, she closes her eyes and disappears beneath the surface. I stalk towards the spot where she had vanished without further hesitation. I reach beneath, having to descend to just above my chin in order to find her arms, under which I push my hands and pull her out. When she comes up, her hair is plastered to her face wetly. She keeps her eyes closed as I push it out of the way, press her up against the stone where she can’t escape me. I grab a firm hold of her hips, steadying her frame against mine. I press my lips to her unsuspecting open mouth, smiling slightly at the gasp she makes, which sucks my own breath away a moment. I explore her heated mouth territorially. I feel her begin to shy away. I lean her backwards, so that she has slipped off her feet, and myself and the tub are the only things supporting her. She gasps again, taking my breath away. I sigh, reviving her, and the warmth that emanates from between those delectable thighs is tangible, despite the water, as I shift a hand there and squeeze her supple flesh. I set her mouth free, hoping she will finally speak. She grabs my wrist and I keep my hand planted on her inner thigh. 

           "Yes? …speak. I want to hear you," I demand. Her cheeks are ablaze and Elsebe avoids my eyes. I caress her wet hair. My hand travels closer to her quim and she squeezes my wrist. I pause, and smile. 

           "It wasn’t all bad before…but will you please be-be gentler?” She stammers. 

My heart swells, and I start to feel sweet on her in more than a rapacious way. 

           "Oh, my sweet girl…I can be tender, when I’m in the mood to be," I say absently, tracing her full lips with my thumb. I only mean to entertain her apparent fear. This time, I want to last, to tire her out. I move in to kiss her again, and she ducks her head under, prying at my hand between her legs. I move it to her waist. 

           "Look in my eyes." 

Elsebe slowly lifts her face to find me observant, yet her eyes flit back and forth unsurely. 

           "Kiss me," I demand kindly. Slowly, she stands upright and plants a chaste kiss on my chin. I laugh. 

           "I know you can reach, Elsebe. Do it properly.” I tighten my grip on her waist. Her shyness excites me. Her cheeks flush again, and I know it isn’t merely an effect of the heat. I press my chest into hers, causing her cushy breasts to be forced upon me. Elsebe pecks my lips shyly. I step away from the wall, enough to clutch the mound of her ample behind in one hand. Elsebe glances away and to the side as I pull her waist closer to mine. 

           "Do you feel that, woman?" 

I know that the maid cannot ignore my hardness, as it grows stiffer with ardency. 

           "It’s all because of you," I whisper into her ear, lowering my head. 

           "And you’re going to fix it for me," I add. I let space between us to venture between her legs with my knee at the same time as I make my way over to a bench that allows the water to stop just above my navel. I part her legs over my lap and when she least expects it, I drag my hand across her quim and search out the fragile opening. Elsebe stills in my grasp and leans her head sleepily against my shoulder. I gaze down on her eyes closed tightly as she begs me again to be kind. I massage her firmly, fighting the urge to slip my fingers into her heated depth. I yearn to feel her tighten up around me defensively, but the way she grips my shoulder keeps me from losing all control. I know that I could ravish her if I want, be evil if I want to, but I start to wonder why I’m so eager to abuse, so I am gentle. I rub her, speeding up, and soon she starts to moan and part her legs more obediently, giving in to the friction of my fingers. The skin between the folds of her cunt becomes noticeably slippery, aside from the effects of the water, beneath which her waist is submerged. She pants and moans, wrapping her arms around my neck. I encourage her with soothing words and teasing blows across the top of her head, where I graze my teeth gently, her hair full of a subtle peachy scent. After about a minute, Elsebe clasps my hand and begins to rub it feverishly against her sex, which she has begun to voluntarily rub against my palm. 

           "Goodness," I say, delighting in this newfound compliance, "Someone has become quite the nymphet.” I take her comfort as a sign that she has warmed up, and I slide the tips of my index and middle fingers inside her. She gasps and stops rubbing against my hand, opens her eyes, and stares somewhat disconcertingly. She grabs at my wrist, although I know what I’m doing is not uncomfortable. 

           "It’s going to feel good now," I assure her. Elsebe loosens her grip on my wrist. 

           "Good." I smile and pull her hip down with my free hand, allowing my fingers to venture further into her. She’s slick with arousal, and tight, as before. She makes not a sound as I twist my fingers inside her, so that the tips are facing me. I apply pressure to the soft flesh I can feel, grazing her insides while careful not to use my nails. 

           "See? You like it, don’t you?" I inquire, my voice coated with an almost sadistic darkness. I reach for Elsebe’s wet hair and knot my fist in it. I yank her head to the side impatiently, tired of her lack of response. 

           "You’ll speak when you’re spoken to," I growl. 

            "Yes," she breathes. I loosen my grip on her hair before running my fingers halfway out and then sliding them back in a bit more forcefully. Elsebe starts, leaning upwards a bit to ease the blows. I slow down to a comfortable pace, until she stops shying away from me. 

           "You’ll learn to like it better, sooner or later," I mutter, admiring her breasts which have enlarged slightly from the moment I began touching her. The maid’s chest was alight with blood. I lower my face to kiss at the blossoming breasts, never breaking the pace of my fingers inside her wet quim. I can’t help moaning at the taste of her flesh as I hum a nipple between my teeth. Elsebe’s hands fall through my hair and rest at the back of my neck. I like her touch, but it’s too gentle, almost teasing. I want her to scratch down the length of my spine, let blood. My erection begins to cause me discomfort, and I stop pleasuring the woman to take care of myself. I pull my fingers free from her tightness and pull her waist down, guiding myself to her entrance. Elsebe pauses again, fear washing over her face a moment. I can’t help laughing as I slide my thickness into her. Almost immediately, Elsebe tightens, and I find the challenge enticing. I grab fast her hips and pull down, until her buttocks lightly brush my legs. I let my head fall back, and my word, the clenching nearly milks me to climax. Elsebe squirms, her legs causing the surface of the water to become a tempest of wet steam. Her moan is rather pleasured this time, and I am caught off guard when both her hands leave my shoulders. I lift my head to find that Elsebe is covering her mouth with both hands, and they shake when I begin bouncing her on my shaft. I grin triumphantly. 

           "Don’t be shy," I croon, "Open up," I encourage her through gritted teeth, pulling her legs further apart beneath the water. I feel myself begin to sweat as she clutches my shoulders again, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. I watch her face with sheer curiosity; the expression is almost pained, even as she moans and begins to meet my thrusts with her own timid movements. Water begins to splash on the floor as I stand up and propel my body up between her legs, grunting like an animal, unleashing some of the fervor with which I had yearned to fuck her the first time. This time, it seemed only to please her, and in half a minute’s time, I cause Elsebe to experience her first orgasm. The wet, hungry grasp of her cunt practically strangles me as I pass my hands firmly up and down her spine, reveling in the way she twitches, gasps, and shakes in my arms. 

           "Yes," I breathe, barely able to pull out, "Good girl. Give it all to Loki," I lull, pressing my lips to her forehead. Out of curiosity, I desire to taste the sweat that drips from her wet forehead. A hint of salty sweetness meets my tongue as I languidly glide it across Elsebe’s brows. She appears to be too lost in the paroxysms of this new feeling to even notice my tongue. Her insides squeeze me like a firm grasping fist and I choke, but it’s too late, and I know I am going to come. I have to sit back on the stone bench beneath the water once more as the heat projects from my swollen length. My eyes roll to the back of my head, and without even thinking, I grab Elsebe’s hips again and slam her down roughly upon my spewing cock, so hard that I can hear our skin make contact beneath the water. She presses her hands against my chest and abdomen, hissing in a sharp breath through her teeth before beginning to whine unintelligibly. I know that I will have bruised her, and I just let my head drop back against the ledge to rest while I fight to catch my breath. Elsebe pushes at me, but my grip won’t allow her to detach my waist from between her thighs. 

           "Sir," she whispers just below her breath, pleadingly. I lift my head again, and suddenly the frustration I feel is almost tangible. I grab the back of Elsebe’s neck and squeeze just hard enough to quicken her heart rate. 

           "I told you what to call me,” I spit, “Can you not learn one simple name?” 

Apprehension washes over Elsebe’s visage, and yet she stares down at my chest and pushes against it, begging me to unburden her of my slowly softening cock. 

           "I didn’t say I was finished with you," I add before she can respond. I pull out in an agonizingly slow manner, and the colour drains from Elsebe’s face as she furiously begins to attempt to rid herself of my remains. I can’t help but feel as if she’s trying to wash me away, and it only fuels my agitation. 

           "Nothing a bit of magic won’t fix," I say, holding back as best I can from downright yelling in her face. But I grab her hands and stop her from what she is doing. Elsebe looks up at me with innocent and confused eyes. Slowly, she removes her legs from straddling me and begins to back up. I try to calm myself down, pulling a wet hand through my hair. 

           "It’s alright," I say blankly, loosening my grip on the maid’s arm. I hadn’t meant to spill my seed inside her, but it happened anyway, and she looked more frightened because of this than I felt. I smile and cup her cheeks in my hands. She closes her eyes and I stand off the bench, closing in on her small frame. 

          "I’m not going to hurt you. How many times have I to tell you?" Elsebe keeps her eyes closed.

           "But I want you to start calling me Loki…do you understand?” 

I let a silence pass before Elsebe nods. She starts for a washcloth at the edge of the pool and I let her go. I still can’t help but feel…dare I say rejection, as she ducks beneath the water before resurfacing to scrub at her skin, pulling herself out to rest on the ledge while washing her beautiful, pristine body from head to toe, erasing me. I try to turn away from her, but she is only lost to my gaze in the span of time it takes me to wash my face and hair. The rest of the time that I absently cleanse my own body, Elsebe keeps her back to me and waits obediently. By now I have to have instilled some fear or other in the woman, as I can’t get my head around why she waits so obediently until I make my way toward her again, turning the knob that opens the drain while I stand at least a foot away from her. Elsebe doesn’t move to get out of the pool while the water drains out. I watch with anticipation as slowly, her mid back becomes visible to me, her hips, on which I can nearly see the imprints of my eager hands where they’ve bruised her, and gradually, her succulent behind. I feel all the urges once more and I can’t help bet fall into her precious skin, trap her in my arms as I bury my face in her pretty neck, the hair clinging there wetly. I moan against Elsebe, planting kisses on the side of her head, her neck, her shoulder, which only continues for a handful of seconds before she reaches up to climb her way out of the tub. I support Elsebe’s little foot in one of my palms, and she turns halfway to look, with what seems like a surprised expression that I would aid her to get out at all. I can’t rid my mind of the image of my seed dissolving into hot water as Elsebe swayed away from me. I sigh and let my shoulders drop as Elsebe wraps a towel about her body. Her voice catches my attention. I had wanted to hear her scream my name. 

           "I don’t have anything to wear," she confesses simply. I look up from inside the tub at her perfect face. The cheeks are still flushed from the heat. I climb out and Elsebe immediately makes her way into my bedroom, as if she can’t wait to be free of me. I dry off and fume angrily before turning to the dress torn in half on the fogged floor. I pick it up and with a small wave of my hand, the dress is sewn afresh, as if I’d never ripped it in the first place. I walk into my room, tossing the dress over my desk to find that she is sitting on my made bed, picking at something on her shin. I waltz to my closet and pick out a clean tunic I haven’t worn in some time, laughing to myself at the thought of Elsebe’s breasts bustling out of my own clothing. I begin to turn to bring the tunic to Elsebe, but when I think of how thoroughly she had bathed after I had her, I decided I wasn’t finished. I put the tunic back in my closet, pulling the towel off my waist to dry off a bit more, before I walk over to my bed with a smile on my face. Elsebe looks about ready to fall asleep as she sits there in the towel.

            "I thought you had a tunic for me," she says. 

           "Oh, I assure you, you won’t be cold, pet. Take that towel off and get under the quilt," I say as amicably as I can muster. Elsebe stands and dries her hair one last time before returning to the washroom to put the towel away. As she walks off, I pull the curtains loose from the posters of my bed to allow them to hide me from view, leaving just enough space on one side to peer through. I sigh and lie comfortably in the bed, resting back against the headboard dazedly, and waiting for the maid to return. When she comes walking naked out of my washroom, my heart pounds with near disbelief that she’s really still there, that impeccable body waiting to be indulged yet again, as many times as I felt necessary. I pull the quilt back and invite the maid. She stops just shy of the edge of the mattress and gazes down unsurely. 

           "Come to me, Elsebe. I did say you would be spending the night with me,” I say factually, sitting up off the headboard. If she didn’t beat me to it, I’d have gotten up and physically placed her beneath the quilt. But to my relief, Elsebe slowly enters the bed, pulling back the canopy to hurriedly slip beneath the quilt. She lies on her back and stares at the ceiling, shyly pulling the quilt up to cover her breasts. I giggle and shift to my side, wrapping my arm around her middle. 

           "You weren’t so coy just a moment ago," I joke, pulling the quilt back to admire her body. She positions her hands gently over her womanhood. I push them out of the way. 

           "Let me see you. You are beautiful—have you any idea how much?" 

Elsebe’s cheeks light up and she closes her eyes, fighting a smile. I slide the backs of my fingers down her body, between her breasts, and she sighs. 

           "Did you know…" I begin, sitting up and maneuvering so that I am kneeling between her parted thighs, letting my hands roam up and down her torso. I lower my head to speak directly in Elsebe’s face, and she keeps her shy eyes closed. 

          "The queen wants to set you free?" I wait and the maid’s eyes open to stare up into mine, where she seems surprised to see are so close to her own. 

           "To reunite you with your sister," I add, hiding the disappointment in my tone.

           "I know. She spoke to me before I came here," Elsebe admits. I grimace. 

           "So that’s why you kept me waiting.” 

She averts her gaze and I rest my chin in her navel and blow towards her breasts, causing the nipples to erect. I then cup a breast in each hand. I start to feel myself hardening instinctively. 

           "Will you leave?" I inquire. Elsebe sits upon her elbows, which causes me to lift my head. I sit up and grab her chin. 

           "Why when I speak to you do you keep your lips shut tight? I know that you have a voice—use it,” I demand, controlling my temper.

           "I’ll stay if you want me to—" 

           “Lie,” I spit, cutting her off. I laugh a moment. 

           "You can’t lie to the god of lies, or have you forgotten who I am?" I ask, feeling my rage froth beneath the surface. I don’t let it show, let it frighten her. I reach between Elsebe’s legs and part the lips of her quim, roughly stroking the delicate bud that immediately causes her to spread her legs obediently and moan. 

           “This, Elsebe, this sweet rose belongs to me. I’ve told you. You could run away anywhere in Asgard—the nine realms—that you want to, but don’t you dare forget that.” 

The noises fluttering from her full lips sound like a cross between moans and whimpers. She doesn’t bother attempting to wrench my hand from her delicacy, but instead squeezes my wrist in blind pleasure. She lies back flat on my bed, spreading her legs so that I have a perfect view of my ministrations. The blood begins to liven and engorge the lips, and the fleshy pink insides glow red hot with arousal. I brush my thumb roughly and repetitively over her sensitive bulb before dragging it down the length of her quim and dipping it harshly inside her. Instinctively, Elsebe’s cunt clenches defensively, having tired of me, but I was not ready to let the woman rest. She closes her legs to me just a bit. I grab onto her hips, unceremoniously gripping at her inner thighs, the femoral veins surging under my palm as I leave one hand in place. I spit between Elsebe’s open legs and she reaches down in curiosity until she passes a few fingertips across my temple. She gasps when I shove my tongue without hesitation into the small aperture where I spat, where she is already wet from the work of my thumb. Her hips quake beneath my mouth unsurely, until I hold a large hand down firmly against her stomach, forcing her to keep her body laid flat. Her cunt is sweetly savory, the same way it had tasted when I’d licked the sweat from her forehead in the bath. She wildly brushes her fingers over my hair, mumbling non-words as I drive her to a point of desperation with my silver tongue. I delve further and can taste my own cum. I nearly stop for the shock of hearing Elsebe’s voice suddenly stuttering my name. I smile against her and suck upon the hardened, sensitive mound outside her. She begins to sit up, grip my head, unable to control the scream that builds up. I sit up and grasp my hardness, which has become so stiff that I am nearly unable to shift it away from my abdomen to guide it towards Elsebe’s body. I shove into her, not caring to ease my way in. She tightens her fingers around my wrists as I grip the back of her head in both hands, before I begin to thrust maniacally. I plummet between her thighs in a deranged fashion. Elsebe’s squeals are just music to my ears. 

           "Say my goddamned name,” I bark in a lust and rage I had not let loose on Elsebe before. She shouts it and I am appeased. I mean to break her in, so I do. I slow down, reprimanding myself mentally for building up such a sweat right after a bath. I slow to a comfortable sway and lie gently atop the maid, whose eyes are closed in what looks like peaceful bliss. 

           "You are never to lie to me," I breathe, pausing in the moment that I spill my seed, quaking from head to toe. 

           "Elsebe, open your eyes and look at me," I utter patiently. She blinks up at me in my moment of vulnerability, while I am completely exposed emotionally. I grunt and sigh, feeling the last of the heated stream escape me and fill Elsebe’s quim quietly, territorially. I kiss her forehead heatedly and push the hair out of her face. She doesn’t say a word.

           "I’m sorry. I’m sorry…nothing a little magic can’t fix." 

I kiss her lips and she turns her head away from me. I rest upon my arms on top of her and pull out much more carefully than I had made my way in. 

           "Say it to me, that you will not—lie—to—me—again,” I command her, turning my head in her direction so that she has to meet my eyes. 

           "I won’t let you go to sleep until you do." 

           "I won’t lie," she mutters.

           "But you will lie with me, and with me alone.”

A moment passes, and finally I sit upon my knees and take Elsebe’s face into my hands, forcing her into a sitting position. I bare into her eyes relentlessly.

           "I will lie with you alone." 

           "And no one else?"

Her insolence drives me near rage yet again, and I know she did not wish for me to ruin her right after the bath.

           "Yes," she says, barely above a whisper. 

           "I didn’t hear you," I lie, merely wanting to hear her say it louder. 

           “Yes.” 

I tap my finger on my lips a moment and she kisses me obediently before lying down, pulling her way out of my arms. I watch her a moment as she turns on her side and closes her eyes. I sigh and make my way beside her to go to sleep. I extinguish the candles with a quick gentle breeze before inching in closer to Elsebe, wrapping an arm around her waist. Her head ducks forward, away from where I had planted my face into her hair. She still places her small hand atop mine, and I fall asleep content.

 

 

          As the sun peers in on me and Elsebe is no longer resting in my grasp, I know that it isn’t worthwhile to get up and see whether she’s in the washroom. Without having been woken up, I know that she had slipped away soon after I went to sleep.

 


	3. Fixation

            When Elsebe does not return to my chambers with my morning provisions, it is then that I know she is gone. I prepare myself for the day, taking my lunch hastily before inquiring mother as to the whereabouts of the maid, upon which conversation, I interrupt mother’s interview with a new applicant. The woman is not much younger than Frigga, but younger, yet not as ripe as Elsebe. I smile as sincerely as I can muster before making my way to the stables to retrieve my horse. In a hurry, I brush off Lunt’s caretaker and tighten his saddle to depart into Asgard. I make sure to go unseen by Thor and his mates, lest they ask where I’m going. I ride at full speed for a few miles before slowing Lunt to a wandering gallop, allowing my eyes to scan the market place I find myself in. I could not have missed Elsebe’s unmistakably shiny curls. The frustration swells within me as I seek the maid out. I stop in the tent of a local farmer. He appears rather surprised as I remove my leather gloves with a smile.

           “My good prince, son of Odin, what brings you to the market?”

The glowing feeling that meets my bosom is pleasant as I stand to my full height and peer down my nose at the farmer.

           “I’m looking for,” I begin, walking down the row of baskets, tracing the apples. Their redness reminds me of Elsebe’s lips, chaste and gossamer as I would brush mine against them.

           “A certain farm girl. I have something that belongs to her.” I turn and slip my hand slowly into the pocket of my tunic, magicking a locket there, so that when I pull it out of my pocket, it is as if it had been there the whole time.

           “You see, she dropped it on her way—in a hurry—somewhere near the palace. Her name is Elsebe. Perhaps you’ve seen her.”

The farmer eyes the necklace as I dangle it before his eyes.

           “This belongs to a farm girl?” he inquires, and it is clear that he hardly believes the necklace cold belong to such an Asgardian. Farmers, I did not think, were poor. Well off enough as merchants, I supposed. I tuck the necklace back into my pocket.

           “Her name is Elsebe. I know not of a surname, yet she is young, long, curly brown hair…fair…” As I describe her, I hope desperately that the pathetic man knows who she is, if not, where she is. A light goes off in his old gray eyes. When he divulges her location, my pulse skips a beat with excitement. I ride at full speed down the road. It isn’t much further, to my impatient relief. I slide down off of Lunt when a large field comes into view. My horse’s breath catches my ear as he nudges me with his nose.

           “I’ll get you some water,” I promise absently, scanning the mostly dead field beside which a cottage of some sort rests beneath the shade of some willowy trees. I pause and stare momentarily, questioning whether the maiden could really be here. The isolation of the place sends an eerie shiver up my spine. I approach slowly until the trees are near. Lunt’s reins are long enough for me to fasten about the trunk of one of the trees, and as the horse nudges me again, I spot a bucket nearby, leaning against a well. Without hesitation, I make my way towards it to siphon up some water. As I lean into the well, lowering the bucket on a rope, it takes a moment before I’m certain the device has breached the surface. I mutter impatiently and give up the menial task, resorting to a bit of magic to beckon the liquid into the bucket. Just as I am reeling it up, something hard and cold makes contact with the nape of my neck. I whip around, drawing the dagger I carry at all times, and nearly slit the throat of the maid who holds a brick inches away from my chest. Her wide eyes trace up to my face and the brick makes contact with the ground, my dagger just resting on her fair neck. I tilt my head to the side, slowly, curiously, allowing my presence to sink in, the smile on my face expanding until my teeth are bared. With a delicate nearly trembling voice, Elsebe’s lips part.

           “I didn’t realize—”

           “Did you think you would simply leave, disappear and never cross my mind again?”

The woman’s eyes don’t reduce in size until I slip my dagger back into its hiding place beneath my armor.

           “Easy,” I say cautiously, raising my hands almost as if to surrender.

           “You merely startled me,” I explain, Elsebe taking a step back with each step I take towards her, until I simply stop moving. I stand up to my full height, noting the way that Elsebe’s eyes travel towards the brick she’d dropped not far from me.

           “I was inside. I heard a noise, and I didn’t recognize you when—”

           “Not even Lunt?” I inquire genuinely, cocking a brow and gazing down on her. The dull ache finally begins to make itself known at the nape of my neck, and I laugh.

           “Who taught you such violence?”

Elsebe glances away with honest remorse written all over her face.

           “I didn’t mean—”

           “You couldn’t hurt me if you tried, my fair maid.”

Her eyebrows clench, as if with confusion, and I can tell without reading her mind that she’s thinking of the way I’d joked as she sat upon my lap, brushing my hair. I laugh again before taking in my surroundings. I take a few more steps towards Elsebe, and she a few steps back. I sigh and she wrings her fragile hands.

           “You need not be so skittish. We are completely alone now.”

Elsebe’s gaze remains past me.

           “How did you find me?”

           “That’s not important,” I respond automatically, growing impatient.

           “I think I am owed your hospitality, at the very least. I never told you to slip away unannounced—albeit without a simple goodbye. I do believe my horse is thirsty,” I explain, turning back to the well. Elsebe hurries over, to my surprise, and picks the bucket out of my hands. She bustles to the well and fills the bucket, and I stand back a bit to cross my arms and watch. Elsebe takes a deep breath before slowly approaching Lunt with the bucket. My horse stares head on at the young woman. I fight the urge to laugh as she brings the bucket forth. She begins to set it at his feet, and instead of waiting, Lunt makes his way towards her and dips his mouth into the water. A small gasp escapes Elsebe’s beautiful mouth before she starts with the water, but then to my surprise once more, she laughs. She stands there holding the bucket as Lunt drinks. She had overcome her fear of horses.

           “Had it not been for me, you would not have dared to come so close,” I say, my voice breezing across the back of Elsebe’s head where I have sauntered close enough to look down upon it. She moves to put the bucket down, Lunt’s face following her movement. As she bends to place the bucket on the ground, her rear brushes lightly up against my legs. As if burnt by fire, Elsebe jumps back up and throws herself from between myself and the horse. She brushes out the skirt of her dress, which I notice to be much more intricately sewn than she could have possibly afforded.

           “Where did you get this?” I inquire, closing the gap between us and bunching up a bit of the dress in my hands. Elsebe tugs it gently away and her cheeks light up with the redness of roses.

           “You needn’t be so coy,” I state firmly, pushing a hand through her beauteous locks and carefully clenching onto a bundle of curls.

           “How many times have I to tell you?”

           “The queen gave it to me,” Elsebe explains quietly. I grin.

           “She gave me a number of things before I left.”

           “And what of your sister?” I ask, pushing my other hand through her hair and carefully clasping her by the back of the neck. Elsebe shrugs me off, taking a few steps back.

           “I have yet to find her. I was hoping she would be here.” Elsebe starts towards the house, creating sufficient distance between us.

           “Surely, you must be weary to have come all this way. I was just preparing something to eat,” she explains, not bothering to look back at me, where I’ve caught up to her.

           “There were berries that—” as Elsebe trudges up the steps of the cottage, she trips. I catch her in my arms moments before her face makes contact with the old wood. I make it the rest of the short way up the steps with the woman in my arms before pausing there to hold her against my frame. I push my lips through her hair to allow them against her ear.

           “That’s not what I’m hungry for,” I explain bluntly. When I let go of her, she hurries inside, and begins to move and clatter things about the kitchen. A stale, deserted scent meets my nostrils as I step inside, ducking through the doorway a few inches.

           “Slipping away each time I near you won’t deter me. Asgard’s biggest army couldn’t keep me away from you.” Elsebe pauses in rinsing berries in a bowl.

           “I’m rather displeased that you slipped away as you did.”

Still, silence.

           “Have you no manners, Elsebe?”

           “I’m not your maid.”

           “And why had you surmised your status as a maid in Odin’s palace had anything to do with this?”

Her back turned to me, Elsebe comes to a stop in her hasty work.

           “I believe you have something that belongs to me,” I explain lowly.

           “And what, may I ask,” Elsebe begins, turning to face me, “May that be, my liege?” Without wanting to waste another second in deprivation of her sweet skin, I grip the maid’s waist and lead her towards the table. Her wet hands clutch my arm guards and a flustered expression fills her visage. I bunch the dress up with ease and speed, despite Elsebe’s clinging hands. She does not so much push me away as cling when I slip my hand easily between her legs, where a cloth keeps my fingertips from making contact with her quim.

           “This,” I breathe impatiently. Elsebe’s grip loosens on my arms and I grit my teeth with frustration.

           “Have you forgotten to whom you speak?” I ask, narrowing my eyes and lowering my voice, though I know it not to be necessary.

           “And I have told you what to call me. I will not tell you again.”

Her eyes close and she sighs, still as I venture beneath her dress to tug at the undergarment keeping her hidden from me. I pause to clutch her divine face and the eyes open.

           “You enjoyed me.”

A moment of silence passes, my words echoing nervously on the air.

           “Why must you insist on evading me with such cruelty? Do you still know not your beauty? Have I wronged you?” An urge to understand Elsebe’s resistance overcomes my primal urge.

           “…You rode all the way out here. Allow my hospitality to make you something to eat.”

           “That’s not what I’m hungry for.”

I find her hips beneath the dress and pull the garment that keeps her hidden until it rips beneath my tugging fingers. I drop to my knees with desperation and disappear beneath the gold embroidered waves, kissing the delicate flesh between her thighs, inhaling her, knowing that the undergarment I’d kept before could not possibly compare. She moans at my kissing and licking, her slender fingers weaving through my hair as I indulge, wetting the folds of her tightness for a matter of minutes, until the weight of my excitement fights against my armor for freedom. I pause and loosen straps and buckles feverishly, Elsebe lying an equal mess atop the table. I throw my chest plate to the floor and Elsebe begins to sit up, panting to catch her breath. I grip her legs and pull them towards me, steadying myself on the table before I find her entrance and begin to fuck her savagely. She cries out passionately, pleasurably, and the way her throat catches hardens me all the more. I begin to wonder whether her tormenting resistance is merely a game, one which I had duly lost out of mere frustration. I fuck her harder until the table drags forth, screeching across the floor.

           “At any time, for any reason,” I breathe heatedly. She gazes up at me with an unreadable expression plastered on her face before dragging her nails so hard down my chest that she draws blood. I never pause in thrusting, gazing only momentarily at the red lines forming down my abdomen. Elsebe’s small hands clasp my lower back tightly, invitingly, and I fuck her to make her scream. She groans nearly painfully, the sound music to my ears.

           “L-Loki,” she pants, scratching down my arms, but much more gently. She pushes against my stomach, whether to stop me or tempt me further, I’m no longer sure. Her moans remain more pleasured than pained and I continue to thrust away ravenously, meaning to leave bruises with the intent that she would not forget. She digs her nails into my shoulders, clinging there until I finish and grunt with finality, my limbs quaking only a moment as the heat of my seed fills her tiny space. I sweat upon her lightly, gasping to regain composure. I longed not to pull out of the bliss between her thighs as I rested tiredly and heavily upon her body. Elsebe’s hands fall against my mid-back and rest there palm down. The sound of her breathing soothes me as I rest my chin against the top of her head, dipping my nose into her sweet scented curls. She rubs my back absently, her breath breezing against my warm flesh. The heat inside of her cocoons me in a way that almost feels maternal, and the thought of impregnating her finally crosses my mind. Her reluctance to be so close to me begins to make more sense. I had shown no restraint, nor do I care as I rest there sated and silent. I could certainly have fallen asleep, had Elsebe not begun to squirm beneath me, desiring her freedom from the cage that is my body. I lean upon my arms, but remain planted so that she can’t sit up all the way.

           “You are to be my maid again, one way or the other.”

            When I detach myself from between Elsebe’s heated thighs, she sighs, and sits upon her hands to face me, sitting atop the table where I’d set her. She reaches for her torn undergarment, and I swat her hand away a bit more harshly than I’d intended to, which causes her to sit upright with a gasp and cling to the edge of the table. I smile.

           “They will surely be of no use to you now,” I breathe, reaching down slowly without taking my eyes off her beautifully flushed face. I pick up the garment and stow it inside the pocket of my trousers, which lie in a heap on the wooden floor. Elsebe doesn’t move; she watches me dress myself again, and I wonder madly what she’s thinking; does she find my body to be a spectacle, the same way that I find hers to be? Does she desire to touch me with the same vigor that I had touched her? The slight uneasiness upon her face makes it clearer to me that she is displeased with my abuse of her clothing.

           “My mother’s dresses have always been the most beautiful,” I mention, “Though I prefer you bare.”

           “Then what use to you is that garment? I presume they could be not of use to you, either, nor fit your form.”

I pause a moment in buckling my armor to cock a brow sky high and laugh genuinely.

           “What do you plan to do with it?” Elsebe asks, and her innocence arouses me to a point of sheer entertainment as her brows pinch together and she stares at the space hidden beneath my cloak where the unmentionable article resides in my pocket.

           “You needn’t worry yourself about it,” I state calmly, crossing my arms, again fully clothed, yet somewhat sweaty from exertion. I brush the hair that has fallen out of place back over the top of my head. Elsebe starts cautiously, until she’s standing gazing up at me unsurely.

           “It was rude of you to desert me in my sleep. I had not yet dismissed you.” I don’t refrain from allowing every ounce of my discontent to manifest in my features, and the contempt with which I speak causes the maiden to wring her hands nervously.

           “Have you no respect for your prince?” I inquire, raising both hands, waiting only a few seconds for an answer. Elsebe’s gaze remains glued to about my mid-chest as she racks her brain for an answer, her eyebrows furrowing all the more.

           “I—”

           “Did you _really_ think you could dismiss me so easily? When I called you to my chambers, I did not do so without the intent that you remain there until I dismissed you.” Elsebe’s dainty lips part to speak, and her lashes flutter with the wing-like grace of butterflies, and I stare at her.

           “The queen may have dismissed you as a royal attendant, but I have not yet dismissed you as my maid. What would you say to me now?”

She doesn’t speak, and my impatience intensifies with each passing second. I reach into my other pocket to withdraw the necklace that I had conjured on my way to finding Elsebe. The second item stowed away is a potion of sorts, one that I had obtained from a healer in the infirmary, in the guise of a serving girl; I had merely posed as one of Frigga’s maidens, seeking a way to reprieve her tendency to misbehave on occasion with the courtiers of Odin. I couldn’t believe how easy it had been to obtain such an elixir. As I grab Elsebe’s wrist and place the potion into her hand, she stares unsurely.

           “Drink it,” I order, hanging onto the necklace and stowing it back into my pocket. Elsebe turns the bottle in her hand.

           “What—?”

           “I said, ‘Drink it,’” I repeat, snatching the bottle back to rip the cork free. I grasp a handful of Elsebe’s lush hair and guide her head back, pressing the phial to her lips.

           “Lest my seed remain potent within your womb.”

She complies without further insurrection, wrenching away from my grasp in her hair, until she has walked around me and back to the basin of fruit that she had been attending to moments prior.

           “Spells I don’t trust nearly as much. They…break,” I explain, turning to find Elsebe slowly washing the fruit. She pauses when my footsteps meet the floor as I approach her.

           “I mean not to discomfort you, so much as I merely desire to possess you.”

Carefully, I place my hands on her waist and she stops altogether, standing still beneath my grasp.

           “I mean no disrespect in saying that I belong to no one. People are not objects to be owned.”

Her voice is so small that I barely hear it. I reach into my pocket once more and produce the necklace. I wrangle it about Elsebe’s neck, as she proceeds to struggle against me, until I allow the chain to dip gracefully into her cleavage. She marvels down upon the piece a moment before relaxing. I plant my nose into her hair and inhale. She calms down enough that I can fasten the chain at the nape of her neck. Kissing her shoulder roughly, I pull the dress down to expose a bit of her flesh.

           “You have no idea what you do to me. I’m not finished with you. Truthfully, you have no say in the matter. I will see to it that you are back in that palace, in your rightful place. It’s only a matter of time. You will come to me willingly, and I lie not.”

           “The queen would see to it that I no longer suffer for my own brother’s crimes. I owe no repayment to Odin. I have been cleared—”

           “Do you not listen to me when I speak?” I turn her on her heels so that she faces me.

           “It’s beautiful. Isn’t it?” I ask breathily, staring at the necklace which has slipped between Elsebe’s breasts.

           “And it would cost you more than you could ever possibly afford. What do you propose to do here, with no family, no cattle? You’re pathetic if you think you can stay and thrive here. Look at your fragility; would you plow the fields day in and day out? Where did you think you would go? It was a gift that the king even spared you and allowed you to remain in his palace—albeit with all the luxuries you would never even dream of being given the privilege of—and all because of me. You’re no ordinary old sow, many of whom the queen keeps about as her maids. I gave you a place in my very chambers, and you would deny that for this?” I spit with frustration. Elsebe begins to look somewhat ashamed, averting her gaze from mine to stare out the window, where it has begun to rain heavily. I smile wickedly.

           “And you know that all I speak is truth, even as I am the master of lies.”

           “My sister,” Elsebe chokes.

           “What of her?”

Elsebe shakes her head before admitting that she has yet to find the girl. She had hoped to find her sister here upon leaving her duties at the palace. I clutch Elsebe’s chin.

           “Is this why you ran away?”

           “I ran nowhere; the king and queen released me from my service.”

          “No, you ran away from me—speak the truth when you speak to me,” I spit with gritted teeth. I hold her chin tighter until she speaks again. She closes her eyes tightly, defiantly.

           “Say it,” I bark, “I _ran away from you, Loki_.”

Her words are breathy and sweet against my face as I lean down towards hers.

           “I ran away from you, Loki,” she whispers.

The urge to press my lips to hers overcomes me and I taste her a moment.

           “You’ll come with me?” I ask honestly, taking a step back. Elsebe’s eyes remain closed. Slowly, I release her chin and back up, crossing my arms.

           “No matter,” I shrug nonchalantly, “You will come back to me obediently in time.”

And with that, I start for the door, already concocting ways of attaining the maid once more. As I pause in the sudden storm beside my horse, I cast my gaze over the field, which is mostly overgrown with wheat. I conspire to thwart the crop, grinning at the expanse of land with malevolence as I trot away.

 

            Thor is the first to ask me where I’ve been when I arrive in the courtyard soaking wet. I smile pleasantly, but the last thing I desire to do is arm wrestle with my brother. I had planned to make a beeline for my library and find the perfect spell to ruin the wheat field and render Elsebe helpless against my pursuit of her. As far as I could tell, she had no one left to turn to, and that had been my father’s plan all along after her brother’s treason. I feel convinced that Elsebe will become my concubine. Thor slaps a hand jauntily against my back as I remove my riding gloves, causing me to nearly topple over. The ass never knows his own strength! He laughs as I recover before asking again why I would ride in this weather. I suffice to say I merely meant to take a stroll about the town.

           “Will you dine with myself and Fandral?” he asks. I laugh.

           “There are some things I wish to attend to, but thank you.”

Thor elbows me and I stifle a groan from the impact.

           “Always running away to your books, brother. Do you never partake in anything else?”

I leave my brother with an impatient gaze and walk straight for my chambers. Upon meeting the doors, I find them to be open. I step inside cautiously, happening upon an ugly wench neatly pulling the silk down over my bed. She remains unaware of my presence as I stand in the corner and watch. When she finally turns to see me, she gasps and excuses herself, hurrying off with her broom and wishing me a good evening. I make a mental note to speak to mother about the maids and their lack of desire to be appointed my quarters for housekeeping, as I know my reputation for trickery surpasses their patience. Mother must have told the wench something to have convinced her to care after my chambers. I slam the doors and lock them, throwing off my cloak and shoes before rushing to the freshly made bed to sit and pull Elsebe’s torn garment from my pocket. Her scent lingers there as I shove it up against my nose. The torment returns when I realize she’s no longer sauntering aimlessly about the palace for me to intercept when I have need for her. I stuff the fabric back into my pocket, licking my lips in the hopes that her essence clings upon them. Tasting her faintly, I levitate towards the largest volumes at the top of my shelves and collect armfuls of books to find what I’m looking for. I know there must be something that I might have use of. All I want is for the maid to lie beside me where I sleep, to hold her trembling legs apart and make her squirm upon my sheets the way she’d squirmed upon that table moments prior. Her reluctance to me only eggs me on, yet I feel certain that deep down, she enjoys me when I touch her, when I shove my naked waist relentlessly between her hesitant thighs. I pause in my scheming and wonder how I will get past mother and my new maid, have her reassigned to care for another quarter of the palace without raising such suspicion. I throw the thought aside and save it to worry over later. When I find what I’m looking for, a sense of relief washes over me. The wind rushes in wet and relentless as I allow my windows to open and chant the disease, which I send straight for the farm. As I watch the pestilence veer through the night, I pray that it reaches the intended destination without complications. My face begins to drip with rain, and I stand there smiling as it soaks me. Never do I pause to think I may be taking this obsession a step too far. Why should I—a prince destined to be a king—be denied my basest pleasures? Elsebe would not know what hit her. I long for the moment in which she will rush back to Frigga, begging for a place in which to make a living, a roof over her head. She would walk right back into my grasp unwittingly. Not a guilty thought roams through my mind as I lie upon my sheets, still trying to smell her there.

When I awake, I am famished, both for Elsebe and sustenance. I prepare myself for the day and find my opportunity to speak to Frigga during breakfast. I inquire about Elsebe’s sister, and when my mother appears not to know where the young girl resides, I decide to include the sister in my scheming. All I have to do is find her. It becomes obvious to me that once she’s instituted in the palace, Elsebe will have nowhere else to go, and I would have access to her so long as I used her sister as leverage. If she loved her so, she should not have wished to keep her from residing in a safe abode, one where neither Elsebe nor the younger girl would ever be subject to highway men and malevolent strangers. Elsebe would not chance it. As I smile across the table at mother, I know that this task will practically complete itself. Mother had taken pity on the sisters and could not possibly turn them away. I rejoice in my mother’s capacity for love before excusing myself to accomplish what I’ve already started.

 

            It doesn’t take long before I happen upon the little wench, begging in the streets in a less than proper part of Asgard. I slow Lunt to a halt and watch as a stranger pulls out of the girl’s grasp, causing her to land in the sodden mud which had developed in the dirt as a result of a storm that had hit the previous night. I know the girl is Elsebe’s sister by the dark, tumbling tresses on her head. Such a beauty they were to admire, shiny and healthy despite the squalor of her cloak as she stands, frowning at the sight of the mud donning her dress. Her hands a muddy mess, she holds them up in front of her as she stares off after the stranger who had callously pulled away from her begging grip. I step down off of Lunt as it begins to lightly trickle rain. The girl weeps helplessly, and pulls out of her robes a surprisingly fine kerchief. She reluctantly begins to wipe the mud away from her hands. I make my way directly in front of her and pull the fabric from her. She gasps, much in the way that Elsebe does when I corner her unexpectedly, which brings a smile to my lips. The little lady prepares to send a venomous blow in my direction before pausing to stare up at me, retracting the tiny fist I could have easily crushed in one palm. She slowly crouches to bow and I pull her gaze to meet mine. I could not have mistaken her for just any pauper.

           “M-my prince,” she chatters before turning her head to aim away from me where she sneezes violently. I croon at her weakness.

           “The king sent you to a foster home. Why are you not there now?”

The girl’s lips quiver nervously; hers aren’t as supple as Elsebe’s, yet I find myself desiring to taste of them momentarily.

           “…I couldn’t stay there—not without my sister,” she explains, avoiding my gaze entirely as if it would have burned her to look me in the eye.

           “You would so brashly violate your king’s orders?” I inquire intrepidly. The same eyes as the fair maid Elsebe shoot like stars upon my face at these words. I laugh.

           “Oh, fear not, child. I mean to bring you back to your sister. The queen incensed my father so much over your separation that your sister was set free. I know not where she wandered off to, but if you come back to the palace, I would see to it that the two of you meet again.” The peasant falls so easily for my speech that she nearly drops to her knees in tears of gratitude. I support her shoulders with both hands.

           “Tell me, what is your name?”

           “Ida,” she mutters, closing her eyes as she speaks.

           “Come with me, Ida. It’s raining.” And the tempo of the drops has progressed as I lead the girl to my horse. Without hesitation, I clutch her small hips as she protests about the mud on her dress which will ruin my saddle. I place her on Lunt with ease and Ida grips the reins nervously as I climb up after her. I grab the reins in one hand, bringing the kerchief before Ida’s eyes in front of me.

           “Have you stolen this?” I inquire. Ida shifts in an attempt to make eye contact with me.

           “It is an heirloom. It was my grandmother’s…I thought about selling it for food…I couldn’t. It’s ruined now.”

I pull the fabric out of sight to pocket it.

           “No matter. I’ll have it washed and made new before it stains.” And with those words, I start off, my plan slowly coming together bit by bit. I come to quickly find that Ida is nowhere near as fearful and hesitant to speak as Elsebe. In the stables, I pull the girl down off the horse, and as I do this, I transfer her to the ground slowly, admiring the miniature version of the maid whose body I longed to have gasping and squirming, moaning beneath my own. Ida allows me to take her hand as we start into the main hall. Almost immediately, we happen upon mother, who looks as shocked to see me with Ida as I am to see her. Ida curtsies politely and Frigga immediately goes on and on about the girl’s mud-stained attire. She whisks Ida away, doting on her as if she were her own daughter. I don’t get the chance to explain the entire situation before my mother tends to the girl sympathetically, asking her where she had been, whether she’s hungry, and I roll my eyes for a moment as the two hurry off. I only hope that Odin will give the girl a chance to become a maid, her sister reinstated as well, otherwise I should have simply ridden Ida off a cliff somewhere and given up the charade of kindness and concern. Now to convince Elsebe to be my maid again. The rain has paused by the time I march back out to the stables to mount Lunt.

           When I approach the farm, Elsebe stands before the wind torn and drowning field with helplessness scorched into her beautiful face. I can’t stop smiling to myself as I approach her desolate stance. She never spares me a glance as I march up to her.

           “Mmm mmmm…what will you do now, woman?”

           “Did you do this?” She asks me, posing the question so silently that I am almost sure she had not spoken.

          “I found your sister,” I state, ignoring her query. Elsebe backs away from me significantly, shaking her head.

           “You lie…you lie to me,” she breathes. I pull the cloth—slowly for dramatic effect—from my pocket. The way that Elsebe’s eyes widen satisfies the urgency to tie my plans together.

           “Oh. Have you seen this before?” I ask sarcastically. Tears threaten her big eyes. Despite the fear I’ve incited in Elsebe, her pulchritude never wanes.

           “Take what you will of me, but have mercy—”

           “Dear me! Are implying that I would…” in shock I plant a hand over my chest, “Defile such an innocent, beautiful, precious, young creature? I am honestly appalled, Elsebe.” I shake my head slowly, scrunching my nose with disgust. Elsebe rushes forth to snatch the cloth from my grip. I allow her to take it, raising my hands as if to surrender.

           “Why…why is it so dirty?”

           “It would pain you to learn of the conditions in which I found Ida.”

Elsebe just about jumps out of her ivory skin when I use her sister’s name. What she does next shocks me. Elsebe’s small, balled fists pound upon my breastplate until she’s screaming in a frenzy. I let her go mad. When she collapses, I catch her in my arms, slowly leading her towards me to hold as she wails hopelessly. I let her believe for a long enough moment that I had taken the kerchief off of her sister’s corpse.

           “She was begging in the streets. I brought her back to the palace—”

Elsebe throws herself out of my grasp with such speed that I would not have had time to hold her still.

           “You…monster!" She screeches, her face taking on a rubor much like the one I had seen in her cheeks the night I had coaxed her to bathe with me in my chambers. For a moment I picture the steam rising from the surface of the water to fondle her breasts and ignite the blood beneath her skin like lusty magic.

           “What have you done to her?!” Elsebe holds up her dress in both hands, the better to flee from me as I start towards her. She trips in the wet, mushy grass before hobbling to her feet and continuing to back away. I smile slowly.

           “It would be in your best interest to come with me, lest Ida suffer the trouble of the courtiers who lust over the youngest maids they can get their hands on. I know what sorts of unspeakable depravities go on under the nose of Odin. He hasn’t the time to care, or is too old and gray to even so much as notice. Unless you’d rather rot here in this wasteland…” I turn to gaze at my good work. The field is no doubt infertile by now, the soil drowned and washed out of all nutrients.

           “How do I know she’s not dead?” Elsebe inquires, keeping her space from me. I stop approaching in the hopes that she’ll decide against running into the house, not as if this would have stalled me long.

           “How do I know you’re not lying?”

           “Trust my sincerity now. What would I have to gain in lying to you about your sister? Do you really think I would let harm come to her? I know what she means to you, and what you are to me is far too valuable to let slip away just yet.”

Elsebe gazes on indecisively.

           “She misses you,” I add slyly, cocking my head to the side and hoping to catch a glimmer of compliance in her eyes.

           “Do you not miss the comfort of my chambers? Surely you fare far better in the comfort of a palace—albeit the chambers of the help—in comparison to this drudgery…you are a fool to think you can fix this,” I snap impatiently, pointing to the spoiled crops.

           “And even if you had just one horse, you wouldn’t reap a single, salvageable morsel at this point. You really have no choice, whether it’s your sister that convinces you or not.”

           “…Tell me you didn’t touch her.”

           “Touch her? What could I possibly want with the shapeless, undeveloped little thing?” I refrain from laughing so hard that I scare Elsebe away. I lose patience again as a moment of silence passes between Elsebe and I.

           “Come here, now. You’re wasting my time,” I spit through gritted teeth.

           “How can I trust you?”

           “Trust my rage, Elsebe. You wouldn’t want me to have to collect you myself. Resistance, running, it will get you nowhere…”

Slowly, the maiden rises and steps towards me. I stand where I am until she’s close enough that I can circle her arm with one hand. I lead her towards Lunt, and the closer I get, the slower she walks, until she simply stops. I turn to stare her down.

           “May I at least retrieve the few items I own? I may never see this place again.”

I sigh and loosen my grip until I let her go. I watch Elsebe hurry back to the home in which she must have grown as a child. I think about returning later and burning the place down, simply for the security that she’ll really and truly have nowhere else to turn, had she and her sister been allowed to leave upon Elsebe’s return. I decide to just let it be as Elsebe comes scurrying out of the house again with a satchel sort of sack bag, nervously clutching the handle that is strewn over her shoulder. I smile and secure the pack to Lunt before hoisting Elsebe upon the horse. Before galloping off in the direction of my home, I pull Elsebe’s dark brown curls back and tuck them behind her right ear.

           “You may continue to resist me, but in time, you will again present me your body, and with it, your mind.” The sun shines through the clouds into my eyes like a good omen.

 

            When Elsebe and I arrive at the palace, I swoop down off of Lunt and hurry to clasp the woman’s waist, pulling her right after me. As soon as her feet touch the ground, she attempts to walk a wide breadth around me, and I grab her by the arm. She stops dead in her tracks.

           “I want to see my sister,” she says, her eyes glancing back at me in a most satisfyingly pleading manner.

           “You’ll stay put until I’m finished, or you won’t see her until I deem fit,” I state with intimidating firmness. I don’t let go of Elsebe’s arm until she takes a few steps back. I watch her a handful of seconds, and the pleading look never leaves her face. I tie Lunt up leisurely and then nod to the side and Elsebe and I proceed out of the stables. She hurries in front of me. I march up and pinch the neck of her dress.

           “Don’t _rush_. You’re still a guest here, do you understand that? You will not make me look like the servant.” Elsebe slows and I reluctantly release the fabric of her dress.

          “You are undeniably cruel,” she mutters. I speed up to stand in front of her, blocking her path.

           “You had better…if you _dare_ speak to me like that again, wench, I will ride you right back to that farm where you can rot for the rest of your days and never see your precious little sister again,” I snarl, getting right down into Elsebe’s face. She merely closes her eyes. My patience has worn so thin that it takes every ounce of self control not to just throw Elsebe over my shoulder and carry her straight to my quarters. The ungrateful little bitch had the nerve to speak down to me? I feel about ready to slap her, but as I gaze about, there are enough gardeners attempting to repair the damage from the previous night’s storm that I know I would have made a scene.

           “You should be kissing my _feet_. I saved her, when she was moments away from death by starvation or brigands. Do not forget that you serve _royalty_ , that you walk beside a prince into that palace. It would be in your best interest to hold that sacrilegious tongue, lest I silence it for you.” I feel my nails digging into the palms of my hands at last, and I am nearly trembling with fury. All I desire is to be king and to lie between Elsebe’s fairest knees whenever I have need, without the constant disrespect and humiliation. It isn’t just the woman whose reluctance frustrates me to no end, but also Thor’s, Odin’s, and everyone else’s refusal to take me seriously and show me the respect I deserve. I have to turn around and keep walking, as I know that if I look at the woman a second longer, I will surely find the back of my hand across her perfect cheek. I hear her following me shortly, and as the guards pull the palace gates open, one of them inquires of Elsebe.

           “She’s just a maid,” I respond hastily, grabbing her wrist as soon as we’re out of sight in the hall.

           “I’m—I’m sorry,” she breathes, struggling to keep up with my long-limbed pace. It isn’t until she gasps and whimpers that I realize how hard I’m gripping. When I glance at her wrist and let it drop, the faintest crescent red line begins to bead upon the surface of her pale skin. Elsebe wipes the minor injury upon the apron of her dress. I can be a monster at times, and I know it. I don’t spare Elsebe a glance after the incident. I chivalrously pull open the door that will lead us into the hall where I can already hear Volstagg’s hearty bellowing laughter and Thor requesting another beer. I hold the door open to allow Elsebe to walk in first. With a flourish of my hand, she steps inside timidly. I close the door after her and she scans the long table in search of her sister. At the head sits Frigga and a handful of handmaids. Ida is in the seat nearest her, and as soon as Elsebe spots her, she rushes over, tears leaking from her beautiful eyes and a smile upon her face. I watch the sisters embrace, and despite my hellish mood, the scene tugs gently upon the strings of a heart I usually don’t feel beating. Mother glances at me from where she sits, smiles, and nods. My arm is tugged violently down by my drunk brother, who reels me into his puerile game, and I know I will not speak to Elsebe for the rest of the night.

 

            As I lie awake in my bed and gaze out the windows at the stars, she is all I can think of. Part of me wishes I hadn’t been so nasty, but the impatience plagues me in a way that I’ve never felt so bothered before. Several times I had glanced up the table at the sisters chattering away. Ida had smiled at me and waved, both gestures I had returned. Ida’s image of me is no doubt the charming prince, while I imagine Elsebe’s to be one of a predator, determined to control her each and every act. The thought of her knocking upon my chamber doors in a matter of hours to help me begin my day causes me to smile. She will have no choice but to work in my presence. As badly as I want to have her again, I want to have her under the pretense that she wants me back. Her reluctance I had found to be a riveting challenge, but I’m no longer sure how much more of it I can take while not feeling that I’m going to explode. I sit up and pace back and forth, unable to sleep. I know that each passing minute means I’m getting closer to her, but time simply doesn’t pass to my liking. Deciding I’ve had enough meandering about my quarters, I throw on a robe and make my way out to the maid’s chambers. I know where they are, yet I’d never been inside them. To the best of my knowledge, no male attendants had ever been in the maid’s quarters—it was forbidden. Regardless, this never stopped them from sneaking away to other nooks and crannies during the night to exchange whatever romp they would with the courtiers. The palace is surely large enough to provide hiding places for the occasional rendezvous. I figure that just to be safe, I should not go in as myself. Passing a pillar, I transform into a middle-aged maid and continue on my way with a grin. I simply desire to see where Elsebe sleeps, if only to hold her head in my lap and caress those dark curls. I know that I desire much more than that, however the latter may not yet be probable. I pause at the door which is closed and stand there unsurely. I’ve seen maids heading in this direction about a million times, yet I never actually bothered to follow one past this point. Back then, I didn’t have reason to (although I had thought many times to plant a snake beneath one of their beds for laughs). Carefully, I press my ear to the door and hear nothing. I slowly turn the handle, which is locked. I curse below my breath before uttering a minor charm to break through, thanking the myriad of spells that I’ve committed to memory. The handle turns and I step into darkness, only the light of a few candles and the stars peering in from the windows providing me with any sense of direction. Rows of low beds filled with mostly old women line the walls. I’m reminded of the healer’s infirmary and wonder momentarily whether I’ve come to the wrong room as I quietly tread down the line, until the beautiful face of Elsebe appears to me, bathed in moonlight. Had I not known any better, I would have thought her a goddess. She sleeps upon her back with hands folded calmly atop her navel, more as if she were dead rather than sleeping. I touch my face to cover my mouth, my palm meeting with a pair of lips much fuller than mine. I slowly transfigure back into my own likeness before kneeling at the foot of Elsebe’s cot. The frustration to feel her smooth skin beneath my fingertips overwhelms me. Her chest heaves slowly up and down with serenity, and I can tell from the pattern of her breathing that she must be deep in dreams. I run my tongue across my lips, fighting the urge to peel the blankets back, if only to see whether she slept in a full gown or with nothing that would have blocked me from kissing the skin between her soft thighs. I almost moan out loud as I slowly lift the white blanket to find a light gown stopping just below Elsebe’s knees. I glance up at her face to be sure she isn’t stirring, before I lift the blanket up a bit further. I lean with stealth upon the edge of the bed, snaking my way up between her spaced legs. Elsebe inhales deeply and I pause out of fear, my eyes enlarging. I think to shift into a serpent and slither like mad out of the cracked door at the far end of the room, but fear holds me like a statue in place. Elsebe remains in slumber. Slowly, I lean my head down between her legs, the tip of my nose nearly touching her calf. I inhale. Such sweetness, like honey or the phantom of one of the perfumes I used to sneak into Frigga’s quarters to sniff when I was a child. I close my eyes and take another whiff, beginning to wonder where the maids bathe, as the room appears to be vacant of anything but beds. Without warning, Elsebe shifts and her knee knocks me square in the forehead. I breeze back in time to miss another blow from the movement of her right leg folding atop the left one, occluding the space where I wished to lie my tortured head. I stare upon her for several minutes, watching the way she breathes. She doesn’t appear to be bothered by the position of the blankets, which no longer warm her long legs. I lean slowly down to press my lips upon the flat of her foot. It has a musty and sweet smell when I inhale, and as soon as her taste hits the back of my throat, I begin to harden beneath the fabric of my robe. I am nearly torn to shreds in desperation. I glance over at the door again, wondering whether I might possibly move Elsebe gently enough to carry her out of the room undetected, without waking her. I clench my fists and slam them upon thin air, reluctantly pulling the blankets back down Elsebe’s beautiful legs. I refuse to get caught here. I pause another moment to stare upon the woman as she sleeps. I wonder how deeply she sleeps, as she hadn’t noticed her own body knocking me in the head when she’d turned. I stand there in indecision before finally deeming it best not to get caught in the maid’s chambers. My eyes wander to the bed at Elsebe’s right, where Ida is sleeping like a little carbon copy of the maid. I smile at her a moment before I transfigure back into an old woman to make my way slowly through the aisles, and thank Kvasir I had been quick enough to transform, as I bump squarely into the stout old maid who used to be the curator of my chambers. She looks at me sleepily, a bit disoriented, in a completely disinterested manner, hobbling around me as I apologize and make up the excuse that I need to visit the washroom. She doesn’t stay to finish hearing me out. As soon as I’m out of the room, I pull the door shut and hurry away. I don’t change back until I’m ten feet away from my chamber doors.

 

           Elsebe knocks upon my doors when I am already sitting upon the bed, awake, and naked.

           “Come in,” I call. The door opens only a creak at first before opening enough so that she can place a bucket down inside my chambers. I laugh quietly to myself and she finally bustles through the rest of the way, my favourite water pitcher in her arms. She doesn’t speak or even so much as look at me once before she makes her way to the table to pour the crystalline fluid into my goblet. I sigh and stare over at her back, which faces me.

           “How rude. No ‘good morning, Prince Loki? …How are you? Sleep well?’” Elsebe finally glances over at me, and immediately looks away flustered when her gaze falls upon me standing naked beside my bed.

           “You—I—I’m sorry. You weren’t decent. I should not have come in,” she explains, rushing back to the bucket. With a tug of my hand, I cause the doors to shut tightly and lock right in front of Elsebe’s unsuspecting eyes.

           “No, you will clean now. No more running away,” I state impatiently. I start towards the goblet on my table. Elsebe does not turn around to face me.

           “If you intend to shirk your duties, do not put it past me to carry you right out of these walls and put you back on that wasteland of a farm you once called home.” I imbibe until my throat is no longer dry.

           “It’s still my home,” she says quietly. I laugh without humor.

           “Not anymore, it’s not.”

           “Did you destroy the crops? With your tricks?”

I sigh with impatience.

           “By Dellingr, _look to me when you speak_ ,” I implore, my words falling on desperate breath. Slowly, Elsebe turns around, but she’s sure to keep her gaze upon my eyes and refuses to look any further down than that. The sunlight bathes me in a way that would have made it possible for Elsebe not to notice my nudity.

           “Yes,” I respond blatantly. I bow my head, taking a step toward her, “Yes, I destroyed those crops. What do you _really_ care, anyway? Even if I hadn’t, you could not have possibly handled them on your _own_. Don’t kid yourself, Elsebe.”

Her expression remains undaunted, and I have a strong feeling that she had known this all along.

           “What use would it have been to you, living on your own, no one to protect you far out there,” I explain, pointing towards the open window, shaking my head.

           “You should be thanking me for sparing you the trouble.”

She doesn’t speak another word as I start into the washroom and close the door, with the intention of leaving her to those thoughts. She would find a way to show her gratitude, sooner or later. I counted on it. When I step refreshed out of the bath, Elsebe is dusting the window sills. I watch her work as I dress myself and when I’m finished, I sit on the made bed and stare. When she turns around, she doesn’t so much as look in my direction before bucketing her supplies and leaving me on my own. I roll my eyes and make my way towards the door to find Elsebe gone before I can hurry after her. Thor, to my relief, is not present during breakfast and I find myself in conversation with mother as I absently chew grapes and try not to stare over at Elsebe as she sits among a few other maids. They’re older than her, not hags, but nowhere near as fetching with looks.

            “You went to search for the girl all by yourself?” Frigga grins in a soft voice, the weight of her motherly hand falling upon mine where it rests upon the table. I sigh.

           “For the thousandth time, mother, _yes_.”

She kisses my cheek, cupping my head in both hands.

           “My sweet Loki. Your heart is still bigger than I thought. What possessed you to take the deed upon yourself?” Frigga asks, rubbing my chin. I turn to meet my mother’s gaze.

           “Nothing, mother,” I breathe, blushing madly, “I simply put myself in their shoes, I guess. I could never have imagined a similar fate befalling myself and Thor.”

Mother wraps her arms about me again and I roll my eyes.

           “Still, what does father say about all of this? Will he allow them both to stay? I could try to reason with him, try to have him understand that they could be used to put to work. The older one has taken great care of my chambers—I see not why he should desire to throw them out.”

Frigga clutches my cheeks, squishing them in a manner she used to do so when I was a boy. I endure this with silent aggravation, hearing some of the maids laugh as they look on.

 

           “Absolutely not. I will personally see to it that your father doesn’t so much as even think to put those girls out on their own. Elsebe confided in me about the family’s land. It’s useless. They couldn’t make it on their own now with infertile land, the poor orphans.”

            My heart nearly jumps out of my chest at mother’s words; Elsebe had spoken to her about the drowning of the crops. I begin to wonder how much she’s told Frigga, but immediately decide it’s safe to assume she hadn’t told my mother whose fault it actually is that the land is no longer profitable, otherwise mother wouldn’t have been embracing me so. Elsebe meets my gaze once and immediately looks away, despite my smile. She knows as much as I do that it’s simply a matter of time before I get her alone again. In a passing moment, I wonder whether she knows of my visit to her bed the previous night. As I watch her raise a cup of juice to her supple lips, a new idea hatches itself in my mind. Perhaps a sleeping potion of some sort might be of use to me, something that will make the maiden dream so deeply that not even the crack of thunder could awaken her. I write a mental note to rummage my books later to prepare this concoction, and when Elsebe gazes over in my direction once more, I almost wish she had even the slightest inkling of what’s on my mind.

           “It’s nice to have those girls around,” mother babbles on, “I’ve taken to dressing them a bit…it’s almost as if I have my own daughters. They will require new garments for the maypole festival, shortly. Perhaps I should have both their measurements taken. Elsebe is a grown lady, but Ida, the fawn barely has hips just yet…Elsebe has that full bosom and delicate face—my if the courtiers haven’t been chattering about her by now, I would be surprised!”

Listening to my mother speak of Elsebe’s beauty causes me to grow heated about the collar and I tear my eyes away from the sisters to stare down into my plate mindfully.

 

            I go through my day habitually, sparring with Hogun and winning. I refuse to wrestle with Thor after making it clear that I’ve nearly dislocated my shoulder, and he turns to make some sort of bet with Sif before sparring with her. My gaze travels westward until Elsebe catches my eye. Ida runs towards her, hands cupped around something. She opens her fingers and a moth flies away. I excuse myself from the group to follow Elsebe, where she walks beyond the bushes that hide me from view. Ida rushes on towards a spring where she proceeds to collect rocks or do something tedious that I’m thankful distracts her from my approach. Elsebe’s back is to me when I speak.

           “Shouldn’t you be cleaning or attending the queen?” I inquire. Elsebe turns with genuine surprise, placing a shaky hand atop her chest. She hadn’t heard me coming. I grin.

          “We are excused for the rest of the day,” she explains, taking a noticeable step back from me. I wipe the sweat from my brow and look Elsebe up and down as if I’m seeing her naked. She glances away uncomfortably, the blood rising in her chest.

         “You are to bring fresh linens to my chamber by nine,” I state blatantly while staring over at Ida who has no idea what’s going on behind her.

           “I made the bed this morning.”

           “Nine, Elsebe.”

When I walk off, I can sense the hesitation emanating off Elsebe’s fragile form. I return to my chambers and bathe the sweat off my body. When the time approaches, I’m finally finished preparing the bit of dust that resulted from the recipe I’d found in one of my spell books. If she would not stay with me of her own accord that night, I would pay her a visit myself and be met with no resistance. I spoon the silvery substance into a small satin pouch, and in the next minute, there is a knock on my chamber doors.

           “Enter,” I call, not bothering to rise from my seat. Elsebe walks in, her face hidden behind laundered linens. I smile and stand up to rest against the table as she ambles through the room to my wardrobe to begin depositing the towels and blankets. I close the doors so that we have privacy, pocketing the pouch of sleeping dust without Elsebe noticing. I wave a hand to hide the work I had been doing moments before she knocked, and it vanishes off the table into thin air. Holding my hands behind my back, I approach the woman and stand near enough that I only needed to reach out in order to touch her. She sighs when she finishes placing the items in my wardrobe. She turns slowly, sensing my presence.

           “What, did you think, ‘just ignore Loki and he’ll go away?’” I laugh without humor, “No, no. No, it doesn’t work that way, my pet. You’re not leaving this room until you’ve shown me how grateful you are to me for finding your sister, and don’t think I jest when I say this.”

Elsebe stands there and stares up into my serious gaze. It’s almost a full minute before she reaches up to touch my cheek lightly. I close my eyes and tilt my face into her palm. I fear to open my eyes again, lest Elsebe be just an illusion, to vanish as soon as I see her again. A nervous little breath meets my neck, before her supple lips are applied to my throat, the closest she can reach to my face at her height.

           “Thank you, Loki,” she whispers so quietly that I almost don’t hear it. My heart speeds up a beat as I look down at her with surprise and find that she’s already aiming for the doors.

           “May I go now?” she inquires, wringing her small, womanly hands.

           “I would prefer it if you stayed and showed me with _greater_ enthusiasm…how thankful you are.”

She gazes up at me an instant, and I know she understands. I brush my palm over the potion in my pocket in the hopes that I won’t actually have to use it.

           “Ida has so much to tell me still…She doesn’t like to be left alone without me for long. Please,” she explains, having stepped away so that her back makes contact with my closet door. I inhale deeply through my nose, cocking a brow.

           “I have been _very_ patient with you,” I explain calmly, “My behaviour yesterday may not have felt likewise, but I assure you, there will come a moment when I will not need to suggest that you sleep in my quarters. There are spears that never miss their marks, Elsebe, and you are the target.”

Elsebe swallows rather severely and her cheeks redden before she steps to the side and slowly backs away. She then turns and walks out of my chambers without another word. I slowly pull the pouch from my pocket and sit on my bed to wait until she might have fallen asleep on her own to make my venture to the maid’s quarters once more. The pain in my shoulder from sparring hours earlier causes me to want to lie down. I fall asleep clutching the pouch, only to awake to the sound of Elsebe knocking on my chamber doors in the morning.

 

           His name is Bjarngeirr, and as the young children—Elsebe and Ida included—parade around an oak tree in the maypole dance, Bjarngeirr doesn’t stop staring at Elsebe as he dips his goblet up into the air to catch the last drops of wine before ordering a servant to refill him. He’s so blonde that it looks like it hurts, his eyebrows barely visible in their bleachy slant upon the chiseled bones of his face. My blood slowly boils when I follow his gaze as he grins upon the looseness of Elsebe’s cream coloured dress, her rear bouncing in a fast step as the flutes pick up in tempo. As the servant pours his wine, I think to poison him and slowly stop fuming to smile instead. There is a jaunty slap on my back and I turn to find Thor grinning, a beautiful young woman already clinging amorously to his arm.

           “Loki, don’t you want to meet the ladies?” he asks, shaking my shoulder. I laugh cordially as the ditzy wench grasping his arm laughs drunkenly.

           “She has some friends,” Thor explains, pointing to the thick-haired blonde, who nearly loses balance, landing her face in Thor’s sturdy chest.

           “I think I’ll just enjoy the festivities a bit longer. Maybe later,” I add, pulling Thor’s arm from around my shoulder with some difficulty before approaching Bjarngeirr. I stand right in front of him, blocking his view of Elsebe. He’s about my height, maybe an inch or two shorter.

           “Ah, Loki. How do you enjoy this eve? I do believe we’ve met once or twice before. I’m—”

           “Bjarngeirr,” I interrupt, patting his shoulder. He smiles at me, completely unaware of my intentions as I smile back.

           “If I should dare say,” he begins, leaning in so that only I can hear him, “I might try to slip away later with that maid behind you, the oldest one around the pole. I think the younger one is her sister. They look almost the same, wouldn’t you agree?”

He stares behind me, and I know he’s looking at Elsebe.

           “I would,” I respond with interest.

           “Do you know her? I don’t believe I’ve seen her before,” he says, stepping around me a bit to get a better view.

           “She’s my chambermaid,” I explain with a shrug. Bjarngeirr’s cheeks redden momentarily.

           “I would imagine…you’ve observed her before?” he asks before swallowing more wine nervously, during our conversation managing to have missed me dipping my hand into the small pouch within my pocket and sprinkling a generous amount of sleeping dust into his goblet.

            “Well, she is a beautiful thing. Any fool with eyes can see so.”

           “What’s her name?” he asks, swishing his goblet as he continues to stare past me.

           “Elsebe.”

When he finally glances back at me, he yawns, a confused expression dawning his face.

           “Oh, if you’ll excuse me a moment, perhaps my drinks are catching up with me,” he says, his voice having dropped an octave.

           “Of course,” I laugh.

I watch him saunter over into a garden maze, where he suddenly falls so that only his feet remain visible at the bushy entrance. Shortly I follow him after sparing a glance at Elsebe to find that she’s already looking my way. I make sure to allow her to see me pull a dagger from the hilt on my belt.


	4. Appeasement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter. Thanks for reading.

 

            I sit debating it repetitively, my bare feet upon the desk, balancing the bag of potion in my left hand. I let it slip open and a silvery, purple cloud escapes lightly. Leaning back in my chair, as not to catch the brunt of it, I manage to fall straight back, breaking the piece of wooden furniture beneath me. I stand and brush myself off, cursing at the spilled substance on the stone floor. I open the pouch hastily to find that there is still a mere handful, less than what I planned to use on the maid. For fear of wasting the potion any further, I secure the pouch tightly and place it on my desk, uttering a spell which causes the chair to reverse in time and repair itself as brand new. I'm still torn about sneaking into the maid's chambers and using the magic on Elsebe, unwilling to give up my hope at making her come to me _willingly_. I smile at the thought of having caught her in the act of pleasuring herself in the showers, when she thought no one was listening. She must have craved me at some point, and if not me, per se, then the weight of a man. I would give that to her if only she'd ask, take it if I were desperate enough. I only feel that she is just _beginning_ to trust me. The full moon beckons me towards her bright white face and I stare up out the window, let the breeze kiss my sharp cheeks, wishing it were Elsebe. I've still been contriving a way to make Bjarngeirr's death look like an accident; I have to be thorough, not leave any clues behind. Perhaps I could get him to vanish altogether. The bastard is now accustomed to getting piss drunk with Thor, and it would have been extremely easy to poison him again. I decide that poison is too risky. Suppose he and my oaf brother were to clink glasses? The poison would splash into Thor's drink. Though he agitates me more often than not, I would rather not kill my own brother. I don't hate him _that_ much. I take my time in the bath, attempting to sate my appetite for the maid, but every thought of her pleasant face, her naked limbs, causes me to harden to a point of insanity. I am left trembling and violently fixated, releasing my seed for the fifth time into the water, which is effectively cold by now. As I dry and start to dress myself, I can't help eying the pouch of potion on my desk. I toss and turn in vain, having met the straw that breaks the camel's back. I stumble out of bed in the moonlight and clasp the pouch in my hand. I shove it into the pocket of my robe and start quietly out of my chambers; she would sleep beside me this night. Transfiguring into a wench, I slip undetected into the maid's chambers. After carefully and silently walking down the rows of sleeping maids, ensuring that none of them lie awake, I approach Elsebe's bed. Again she slumbers upon her back, her calm face a sight to behold in the moonlight. She never stirs as I stand there transfixed for a long moment, debating in my head whether or not I should do this. It would look rather odd to be caught carrying a maid in my pajamas, and I knew I could not possibly keep my maid disguise while transporting her to my chambers. I decide on mustering up a cloud of invisibility, and by the time I'm done battling my thoughts, her eyes pop open. Elsebe gasps just as I reach into the pouch and cast a pinch of sleeping dust into her unsuspecting face. Her head immediately turns aside in her sleep. I transform back into my own figure, knowing I'll need stronger arms with which to carry her out of the room. I laugh ever so quietly and accomplished to myself, picking her up bridal style at the same time as I mutter a spell that takes us both out of sight. She has no choice now, as I take my time and quietly carry her back to my quarters. Once inside, I shove the door closed with my foot, unshrouding us both to admire her beauty, before carrying Elsebe with haste to my bed. I pause, spinning in utter joy while holding her, like a child with his winning prize. Giving my laughter free reign, I sit upon my bed, desiring not to put the woman down just yet. Her head rests heatedly against my bare chest, her lips pressing there ever so slightly from the way I coddle her. Elsebe's soft exhales cause the hair on me to rise with anticipation. She is _mine_ , and only mine now. With utter astonishment, I finally realize that I could do _anything_ in the nine realms I wanted to do with her—right then and there, and she'd have been none the wiser, nor resistant! The thought begins to arouse me, but a desperate need for her to desire _me_ sets in, and I resist my baser urges for the moment. I sigh wondrously to finally just _have her_ to hold and caress. After sitting a moment in the moonlight admiring her visage, I find myself talking. Though I know she can't hear me, I confide in her my deepest desires and wishes, what I want from her, how much I desire to be chosen as Asgard's next king.

            "It _can't be Thor_. He's…an utter _imbecile_. He has _no_ civility or capacity to make sound judgment. He's impulsive as an animal…He would _ruin_ Asgard! Mother knows this as well as I do. Anyway, I know she's on _my_ side. Let's hope she talks some sense into my father…he's _always_ favored my idiot brother. _I am the rightful king of Asgard_. If I don't get chosen…I can't be sure what I'll do," I mumble on, tracing Elsebe's full lips with my index finger. I've laid her against my chest in bed.

            " _You're_ on my side, aren't you, my pet?" I ask salaciously, laughing to myself once more. I begin to finally feel weary, and as I hold Elsebe in my arms, sleep takes me with relief.

 

            Upon waking, I still find the woman asleep. I smile as I blink awake and rub my eyes, still certain that I can get away with _murder_ if I so wanted to. Bjarngeirr crosses my mind and I pause in a moment of displeasure, shaking my head before slowly pulling the quilt back to find Elsebe just as beautiful as ever beneath her sleeping gown. I stare there, beneath the skirt for almost a complete minute before giving up and allowing the arousal to overcome me. I was hard upon waking to start with, and it would have been a waste to spill my seed on the stone floor, make a mess of the quilts, or sully my bath again. I sigh, imagining my length compressed within the fragile, hot, wet maw that captivates my gaze; she hadn't been wearing undergarments, something I had not noticed until now, as I stare at her perfection, which was only moments ago hidden from my rested eyes. I pull my hand gently along Elsebe's inner thigh, down her leg, circling the ankle with my fingers. She remains in slumber as I take my time, lifting her foot to my lips, kissing each toe, tracing my way up her soft skin, until my head rests beneath the gown. Frustrated with it in my way, I contemplate tearing it clear off her, but desiring not to incite her anger, I allow the garment to cocoon me as I pry her long legs apart, pressing my lips to the most intimate part of her. The very notion that this pleasure point has been excavated by me alone causes me to harden even worse. Finally, a sigh departs Elsebe's lips, and I pause with my lips just inches away from her cunt. Slowly, I slip from under her gown and lift her so that she rests sleepily upon my chest and shoulder while I unbutton the gown. I take my time in this task, kissing her neck, stuffing my nose into her voluminous curls. _Mine…all mine_ … I gently peel the gown off her arms, lying her back again gently, keeping my eyes on her face as I maneuver the dress down her hips before casting it off the bed on the floor. I slip hastily out of my pants and set my cock free. The tip is already reddened with blood, desperately seeking the shelter of Elsebe's body as it drips profusely onto the sheets. _Patience_ … My pale digits sift between the folds of her quim to reveal the bud inside. With an emphatic sigh, I plunge my head between her legs and feast. She begins to respond, to my delight, with sighs and slight moans, which slowly build as I perform my work. Her hand even moves a moment, reaches unsurely over the sheets. She tastes saltier than I remember, but the sweet sighs emanating from her lips excite my heart and ears. I begin to wish she would wake, say my name, but I settle for the small noises she makes, probably under the pretense that she's only dreaming. I reach for a handful of one breast and fondle it beneath my palm. When I look up from between her legs, I find both breasts swelling with arousal, the chest reddening to match my cock. I continue on her, navigating Elsebe's depths with my silver tongue, knowing the sharp chill tickles her. I have to hold her legs up as they slump, throwing them over my shoulders and keeping her legs parted. I know that she feels only pleasure as I stroke into her violently, applying an unrelenting pressure against the mound inside her that I know causes extreme pleasure. Small whimpering sounds begin to escape Elsebe's lips, and I continue until her body racks with sobs. Without warning, her insides clamp down upon my tongue, restricting my licking motions, and Elsebe gasps, panting. I don't have to look up to know she hasn't yet woken; she would have screamed upon waking to find my head between her thighs, whether she admitted to wanting it there or not. I decide to let her rest, focusing my attention on my own need then. I know it will be too messy to spill my seed inside her, yet not nearly as messy as it would be to do so upon the sheets. With anxiety, I choose not to release myself anywhere near Elsebe; I want her to awake under the pretense that I had not touched her. Perhaps she would stay of her own accord if she could trust that I hadn't done the unspeakable to her sleeping form. I rush into the washroom, collapsing on my knees as the thick, milky substance spritzes my heaving chest. I choke a moment, attempting to regain my composure. My lips are damp with Elsebe's juices. I suck her off of them before wiping myself clean and walking back into my room. She remains there, now naked, sleeping on her side, totally unaware of my presence. In disappointment, I realize I would have enjoyed it more had she been awake enough to react more enthusiastically to my touch. I pick the gown up off the floor and slip it back up Elsebe's legs, lifting her like a life-size doll to fit her arms inside it and button it back up. And I sit there a while, simply holding her, breathing in her scent, caressing her hair between my fingers. All I wish is for her to sigh my name and _mean_ it. I kiss her shoulder lingeringly and close my eyes. After another number of quiet seconds embracing her, she gasps. Elsebe awakens, screaming as she attempts to wrench herself free of my grasp. I cling to her, allowing the maid to pull away only enough that I can smile down into her surprised face. Slowly, she stops shouting to look at me with wide eyes.

            "Good morning, my pet. Sleep well?"

She takes in her surroundings.

            "What am I doing in here? Why…?"

            "You sleep like a log. I was wondering when you'd wake."

She begins to try and pull away from me again and I frown. She closes her eyes tightly.

            "What did you do to me?"

            "Why, absolutely nothing." I lie with ease, "Are you accusing me of something?" I ask darkly. I grab her cheeks in one strong hand.

            "Look at me, Elsebe."

She finds my gaze with eyes full of fright, struggling beneath my hand.

            "I didn't say anything," she breathes unsurely. I loosen my grip on her face.

            "I desired a companion for the night. I knew you would decline my request."

            "Ida—"

            "Will be _fine_ on her own for an hour or two," I snarl, grabbing Elsebe to sit back down on my lap when she tries to stand. I pull her hair over her shoulders, wrapping an arm around her waist.

            "If you did nothing to me, why are you naked?" she asks shyly. I laugh.

            "Is it not how you sleep on hot nights?" I respond sarcastically.

            "You've seen me this way before. Why act shyly now?" I whisper into her ear. Elsebe leans away from my voice. I roll my eyes.

            "I don't remember coming in here."

            "That's probably because I took you from your bed."

            "You're not allowed," she begins, pulling out of my lap so hard that she falls on her hands and knees on the floor when I let her go, laughing again.

            "You're not allowed in the maid's chambers," she explains, turning to face me and standing up hastily to brush her gown. I cock an eyebrow sky high. She clutches her hands and looks past me, out the windows, her face a blushing mess. I stand slowly and approach her.

            "When will you learn to show me some respect?" I ask gravely.

            "I did not mean—"

            "You meant to tell me where I am and am _not_ permitted to go. Do you _again_ forget to whom you speak?"

Elsebe shakes her head nervously.

            "I didn't mean…"

            "Make the bed," I order calmly, pointing to it. Elsebe rushes forth to obey me. I cross my arms and watch her a moment, enthralled. When she finishes, she turns to face me, crossing her arms.

            "May I be of other services, my liege?"

            "Yes, of _course_ …although I doubt you will likely comply, seeing as you appear to prefer to resist me with every fiber of your being."

Elsebe blushes and looks away from me shyly.

            "…I am not…I am simply your maid. It would be wrong of me to," and as she trails off, her eyes scan my godly grace from head to toe. I smile.

            "It would be wrong of you to what, my pet? Desire my flesh against yours? I assure you, it remains a secret well kept betwixt the two of us. Why continue to run from me when there _is_ no true escape?"

            "I'm missing your daily provisions, am I not?"

I allow the maid to disappear through my double doors. As she walks away, I wonder how cognizant to the reality that I _had_ in fact touched her she really is. Somehow I am certain she knows, and for the first time in our course of awkward interactions, I know she is not at all displeased.

 

            The festivities of the first day of summer give me a more than believable excuse to get Bjarngeirr blind drunk. He loses to Thor in their drinking game where I keep count, and I take full advantage of his tipsiness to lead him to the washroom after happening upon him stumbling about the halls, knocking into pillars, muttering nonsense. In his drunkenness in the hall, he had made the fatal mistake of commenting again on Elsebe's bosom, which I knew as well as every other merry maker feasting and gossiping, that he had been right. The second I had seen that dress, I wanted to rip it from Elsebe's shoulders and haul her off to my quarters. As I laugh and assure Bjarngeirr that we are now on our way to the washroom, he stumbles against me, muttering, having drank so much that he is no longer forming coherent words. We are far out of sight when I let him stagger ahead of me a few more drunken steps before pulling the dagger out of my hilt and rushing up behind him to slit his throat deeply, like the pig he is. He collapses to his knees, and then face down, quickly drowning in his own mess. I wait a moment, nudge him with my foot before leaning down to wipe the blood off my dagger using his cloak.

            "Bjarngeirr?" I grin. He's dead. Disposing of the body proves easy as I cast a quick spell over him to send the corpse to the depths crashing violently beneath the Bifröst. Another spell, and the blood and sick is gone with him. I stare at the spot where he had been lying moments earlier. Small steps behind me cause me to freeze; the pace sounds familiar. When I turn to see the intruder, Elsebe simply stares at me, a safe distance away, the breeze breaking through causing her dress to float mellifluously behind her. I grin, glad to see her. I know from the look on her face that she has only just missed what I'd done to Bjarngeirr. And yet, she had seen me before when I entered the maze with my dagger after him, and I knew without asking that she had said a word of him to no one. I stand and face her full on, staring her down. It must have been a full minute before she began to approach me quietly, slowly, and in a way that begins to work my nerves. Calmly, I clasp my palms behind my back, praying any stray blood that may have touched my pale hands has been wiped away. Elsebe stands at arm's length and gazes up into my eyes.

            "Evening, my pet."

Silence falls between us.

            "Is that what I am?" she finally inquires.

            "To an _extent_ , albeit, you aren't exactly the loyal dog…are you? You don't come to me as soon as I call you."

I watch her throat as she swallows uneasily.

            "You could have turned around, retired back to the party."

            "You would have found me there. I tire of the men asking me to dance."

I laugh.

            "You could have snuck away back to the maid's chambers."

            "And you would have found me there," she says. The both of us know that this is the truth. I take a step towards her and she gasps, closes her eyes. I reach out and cup her chin, lifting her closed gaze towards mine.

            "Were you looking for _me_?" I ask quietly.

            "No—"

            " _That is a lie_. We both know that."

Had she _really_ forgotten she could _not_ lie to the god of lies himself?

            "If you promise not to hurt Ida—"

            "Hurt her? The child? Again, you accuse me of the most evil, that which I am incapable of. Do you believe me so uncouth?" I ask, running my thumb along Elsebe's bottom lip.

            "I'll do anything to protect her," she breathes uneasily, still convinced that I am a threat to her baby sister.

            "I wouldn't dream of hurting the girl… _Look at me when I speak to you_."

Elsebe's eyes fly open and I stop snarling. I smile.

            "You have frustrated me to _no end_ , and I think you know this as well as I. You are an insolent, ungrateful little bitch," I spit. Elsebe's expression shifts to one of surprise as I speak.

            "Accusing me of this and that, when you know full well what exactly it is that will appease me. I don't see why you insist upon denying me—"

She cuts me off my springing forth upon her toes to kiss me. I am taken aback as my heart nearly breaks free through my ribs. I don't waste another moment before pulling the maid up against me and returning the shy attempt at a kiss. She wraps her arms about my neck, and I lift her up off her feet, turning and starting in the direction of my chambers, not bothering to put her down, as she begins to wrap her legs equally around my waist. The kiss breaks and Elsebe starts upon my neck with a fire I had not felt in her before. When I rush into my quarters and shut the doors, she hops down and turns around, pulling her hair over her shoulder. I reach with quivering hands towards the zipper on her dress and pull it down slowly, pressing my lips against the nape of her neck. She sighs as I work my way down with teasing kisses, until I am kneeling with a firm grasp on her hips, my lips burning into the small of her back. She moans quietly and I smile against her skin. Elsebe pulls her arms free of the dress and I help her out of it as she doesn't bother to turn and look back at me. She makes her way to my bed, disappearing behind the canopy's curtain as I follow slowly, still in disbelief, depositing the crimson gown on my desktop. When I kick my boots off, I can hear her sigh pleasurably, the same way I had heard her sigh when I caught her in the showers. I hasten to remove the rest of my clothes, cursing the armor for being so elaborate, unsnapping belts and buckles, until it is all thrown to the floor as I rush towards my bed. When I pull the curtain, she is already lying on her back, her head resting at the foot of the bed, both hands between her legs, her face flushed. As she prepares herself for me, I kneel upon the bed to watch patiently, my heart a thumping mess. When Elsebe opens her eyes, she merely turns her head to gaze over at me. I had not tasted wine or ale of any kind on her lips, and as she continues, I know that she is not at all drunk or disoriented, but _willing_. I begin to stroke myself absently, crawling hesitantly towards Elsebe. She simply watches me with anticipation. I pull her legs towards me with a grin before shoving her hands out of the way and pulling her waist towards my desperate cock.

            "I assure you, I'll be _much_ more satisfying than your fingers," I promise, sliding my erection between the folds of her skin. She closes her eyes, her back arching already, her legs spreading to allow me in. This time, I am completely certain she wants it when I shove unceremoniously inside of her, earning a gasp. Elsebe claws at my wrists where I have wrapped my hands around her middle. My eyes roll to the back of my head a moment. She's so tight that I know I'll finish if I don't pause a moment. The woman wriggles her hips up against me, forcing me deeper and I sink and melt into her maw, shivering as it hugs me securely. She does not resist when I plant my arms securely on either side of her and thrust vigorously. Her moans break the silence, quickly becoming screams as the sweat builds upon my brow, my flesh beating repetitively against hers with a constant _smack, smack, smack_.

            "It's mine," I breathe in madness. Her eyes fill with an amazement as she grasps at my shoulders, keeping her legs spread with complete volition. She touches my cheek shyly with a shaking hand. I lean into it, slowing down to a long, firm sway of the hips, forcing each breath out of her little stomach as my body ruts against hers.

            " _Loki_ ," she breathes, moaning and panting desperately at my tantalizing movements.

            "Say it louder," I demand through clenched teeth. She moans out loud and long, wincing at my girth when I give a sharp thrust, causing the cum to splash from between her legs and hit me like hot candle wax.

            " _LOKI_ ," she chokes out, clawing into my back with her fingers, begging me to penetrate deeper when I withdraw halfway. She gasps and rushes her hips up against mine to keep me inside of her. I smile with utmost satisfaction.

            "It's…so good," she breathes.

            "Is it, pet?" I respond just as breathily, forcing her back down using only my chest, pulling out teasingly again. She shivers excitedly, rabidly.

            "What else is it?" I inquire. Elsebe whines and bucks her hips up against mine, causing me to make shallow thrusts inside her cunt. I pull her arms from around me and pin them down with domination.

            "I asked you a question. Answer it, or I will not continue."

I can't help desiring to jest and play with the woman, make her desire me with the same agony I had been desiring her from the moment I'd laid eyes upon her.

            "Tell me more about my cock, Elsebe," I hiss.

            "It's _good_ ," she pleads, her voice reduced to that of a begging child as she continues to try and force me back into her depth by bucking her hips up against me.

            " _Please…please, Loki_ ," she begs, lifting her head up off the bed, pressing her forehead intimately to mine. I laugh.

            "What does it feel like?" I ask.

            "Good," she breathes, pressing her lips against mine. I thrust violently down, catching her off guard. She winces again, throwing her head back thankfully, moaning uncontrollably.

            "It's… _so big_ ," she breathes, pushing her hands through my hair once I release them, hissing an inhale through her gritted teeth. I bite into her collar bone, kissing and licking her neck a moment. When I start fucking her again, she spreads her legs further, invitingly. I thrust at a pace that threatens to break the woman, and she merely squeals in what I _know_ is pinnacle pleasure.

            "My god," she shouts, dragging her nails down my back. She screams after a handful of seconds when I thrust my fastest, and the severity of her orgasm is tangible from the way her cunt strains against my cock, her thighs clasping against me desperately, not wanting me to pull my body away and deprive her of the pleasure. She squirts, the warmth of her orgasm soothing against my pelvis. I can't hold out any longer and my seed rushes forth powerfully, coating her on the inside, until it begins to seep from between her legs, leaving us both a sticky, wet mess. She lifts her head off the bed and pecks at my chest, the gesture tickling me to a point of breathless laughter. I shift on my side, drawing Elsebe into my arms, remaining between her legs. I cup a breast and play with it as her chest continues to heave, smiling with triumph.

            "You killed him, Bjarngeirr, didn’t you?" she asks.

I roll on top of her again, pulling out slowly, staring down with pleasure between our bodies to find my cock dripping.

            "You saw me?"

            "No."

            "Yet you knew," I say matter-of-factly. Elsebe's hands make contact with my arms where the biceps strain to hold me in place on top of her. When I gaze down at her face, she appears mesmerized. It pleases me so much that I pause to watch her, the delicate little hands traveling to my pecks.

            "I won't tell anyone," she says absently, breathlessly.

            "You won't," I state, moving my way down between her legs. She closes her eyes and grips the sheets when I begin to suck my cum out of her cunt. I dip my tongue in the small hole that is now open and reddened like a zinnia, and lap at her, sparing a glance up at her flushed face every so often. She shivers and moans again, her fingers dusting lightly over my hair. The combination of our fluids is rather odd to the taste, but I had felt myself hardening again nearly the moment I had pulled out, and simply wished for my mess not to be in the way for the second round. I sit upon my knees and stroke myself patiently, peeling the foreskin back carefully. Elsebe stares up at me.

            "Weren't you finished?" she asks shyly, despite how clear her arousal had been.

            "I'm going to take you again," I state shortly, pulling her legs towards my waist. She shows no resistance when I mount her and slip my cock inside her. My jaw tightens and I pause again before beginning the maddened thrust. She is tired out before I even finish again, keeping her eyes closed this time, moaning a bit more laboriously. I pause and wait for a response. Elsebe looks up at me and tucks the hair behind my ear.

            "Why did you come here?" I ask honestly, "I think you know I do not intend to harm your sister."

            "I wanted…I wanted you," Elsebe admits. I smile genuinely and she blushes. I roll over and lie on my back, catching her off guard.

            "Show me how much, then," I insist, cocking a brow and folding my hands behind my head. Cautiously, as if afraid she might hurt me, Elsebe places her hands on my chest. I watch her with intrigue as she bites her bottom lip, blushing, and rolling her hips unsteadily upon me, figuring out her own body. She settles for a grinding rub sort of motion, her breath catching when she realizes how to stimulate herself. Before I know it, she's nearly as rough with me as I had been with her. I clasp her hips and pull her down on me with equal force until she cries out, squealing and moaning, tears of joy running down her cheeks. I explode inside of her a number of times and the mess seeps out from between the maid's legs to wet me. She stares down between her legs with some amazement. I catch my breath enough to speak.

            "Don't worry, my pet. There will be much more of that for you to clean up later." She was my maid after all.


End file.
